Infinity Train: Bryce's Story
by OmegusXIII
Summary: Before that fateful night, Bryce Gideon wanted to do everything he can to help his mother and father. But the one night he chose the wrong side of the tracks, Bryce found himself in a train that seems to go on forever. When he encounters Tulip in the same predicament, the two of them must work together to get back home, or be forever stuck in the Infinity Train...
1. The Wrong Side of the Tracks

**A/N: Hello, all. To be clear, this is a prologue to give you a taste of Bryce's Story before September. Everyone may or may not be interested to see it, but if you are, please be patient and wait until then. It's not like I'm putting it on hold for 3 years. All in all, Infinity Train was so very popular in my house, we had a theater night, watching the premiere of the first two episodes like we were watching a movie, with popcorn, candy, and soda, all that jazz. :) Anyway, as far as my OC, he will be portrayed by Jensen Ackles. I hope you enjoy the preview. :)**

**Prologue: **The Wrong Side of the Tracks

It all started one night as the moon shone on a train station that went from one location to another as a bullet train zipped by a crowd of pedestrians who were waiting for it to make a complete stop. As the pedestrians were waiting, the doors just opened slowly to let everyone that was in the car out before the crowd that was waiting went inside. Amidst the crowd that stepped in was a young man with brown hair wearing a jean jacket and black pants. Unlike the other pedestrians, he seemed to be more frantic about his destination, though he tried to hide it in order to blend in. With what he's dealing with, the young man felt it best to hide it from everyone else. After all, how else could they respond to what he aims to do but to try and stop him? They just couldn't nor would they need to understand why he needs to do it: it was simply the only way. And the call on his phone verified the issue as he reached in his pocket and answered it as he spoke to the caller.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you, kid? Me and Vinny have been waiting ten minutes for ya."

From the tone of his voice, the young man could tell that he was getting anxious. Although it was for different reasons, he'd understand. He didn't think he ever had to do this in his whole life, yet here he was.

"Calm down, Vic. I'll be there. Do you understand how long the commute is this late at night?"

"Sure. As long as you understand that the boss will put you six feet under if you back out."

At this point, this threat meant nothing to him. He could care less about what happens to himself. Heck, he couldn't even remember to clean his room. However, that didn't mean he had no reason to do this. The only people he worried about at the moment... were his parents. He didn't know how they got hurt the way they did, other than it was an accident. But whether or not it was, he didn't want to wait for them to die as he replied more coldly to him.

"I'll _be _there. Just keep your pants on, alright?"

As the young man ended the call, he just took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from blowing up in the crowd. That would lead to a great compromise in the plan, the least of it being several eyes gazing at him. Of course, he could tell them he's had a rough day, but there was a chance that most people would find him suspicious and then he'd be booted off. It's almost like a punishment for being human. Regardless, if he wanted this to work, he needed to stay away from being human for a while. However, the next call he received made it more difficult as he saw a picture of an elderly woman with short brown hair in a bowl cut style, a blue-green shirt, and blue pants before he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Bryce. Are you doing okay?"

His name was Bryce Gideon. He was a 16-year-old young man, just in the end of his Sophomore years. He didn't always have good grades, but in those moments, he could count on his mother and father for help. He could always count on them to help him with things he couldn't do himself. And he always enjoyed their support. At least, that was before... the incident.

One night, they ended up in a car accident on their way back from their date. The news struck the boy and his grandmother to the core. Fortunately, they survived, but equally unfortunately, the medical expenses turned out to be bigger than anyone in the family could pay. This gave Bryce a rude awakening: he couldn't always count on everyone helping him. So it was high time that he learned to help himself, hence his necessary action that he felt the need to inform his grandmother about as he replied.

"Yeah, Grandma. I'm alright. Just working overtime."

"Alright. Just remember not to push yourself too much."

"I know, I know. You don't have to worry, Grandma. I'll be fine."

However, his words weren't so convincing to her as she replied in a concerned tone.

"You always say that, but I know how much you blame yourself. I know how much you wish that you'd tried to convince them to stay with you, but I want you to know that none of this is your fault."

Hearing his grandmother tell him this, it infuriated Bryce enough for him to shout at her.

"I know it isn't! Why would it be?!"

Upon realizing what he'd just done, Bryce came to regret what he'd just said and how he said it. So, he tried to make it up to him as he spoke.

"Oh, Grandma. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

"I know. Like I said, I know you're going through a lot. Just take it easy, okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a good night."

As Bryce finished his call, he began to feel worse as he took a deep sigh. He'd never once snapped at her grandmother like that in his whole life. Maybe she was right about the pressure of it all. And that was all the more reason he needed to do this. The sooner he did what he would do, the sooner the weight of saving his parents would be lifted and he could be a normal kid again.

* * *

And after a short while, consisting of about five minutes, the train finally stopped, allowing the doors to open and let out the people on the train, including this young man who had but one reason to do what he was needed for. It was then that he saw the building he was told to meet at: the bank. Of all places, it had the one thing he needed to help his parents recover from such a devastating blow to their now frail bodies in which intensive care was the only thing standing between them and the call of the angels, not that he believed in them personally. And he knew that the people who told him to go there would be the only ones who could help him. With their expertise, they must've done it for a living. Still, as he went up to them, he felt they could've at least learned patience in their line of work as one of them, Vic, a tall, lean man in a tuxedo whose figure was a great contrast to his slightly cellulite partner, Vincenzo, spoke to him.

"About time ya showed up. We were beginning to think you backed out."

"Back out? Why would I do that with my parents near death's door?"

As the young man showed the two men in suits a determined look, letting him know that he had no plans to turn away from this hit, the former spoke up to him, making sure there were no loose ends. Not that he had to worry. Since his parents became grievously injured, his grandmother was placed under his care. As far as she knew, he was working late at night on his job for overtime to pay the medical bills. Beyond that, he knew that if he told her about what he's doing, she'd have a heart attack. Then it'd be one more life at stake, and he wasn't willing to let it happen.

"So, your granny know about this?"

"As far as she knows, I'm working late on my job."

"No reason she shouldn't keep right on thinking that."

Having confirmed that their cover was safe, Vincenzo spoke up to him, happy that he was willing to be here as he shook his hand.

"You made the right choice, Bryce. By this time tomorrow, your folks will be checked out of the hospital faster than you can say 'intensive care'."

While Vincenzo spoke to the young man, he got out a picture from his pocket and gazed at it. Back then, he was full of innocence as he had a smile on his face with the company of his mother (a woman with brown hair, a light blue jacket over a white shirt, and a black skort), and his father (a man with black hair, a plaid jacket, and blue pants). Gazing at the picture, it almost felt as though he was in some sort of mirror. That made him get to think: if this little boy was with him, what would he say to him? Of course, he'd say that stealing isn't nice, and he'd be right. But he knew it's what he needed to do for his parents.

"For their sake, I hope you're right..."

* * *

With that, Bryce, Vic, and Vincenzo were now eyeing their target that lied at the rooftop as the former of the two men in suits spoke to him as he got out a ski mask from his backpack and put it on before getting out the essentials for the job.

"Okay, kid. You think you can make a shot like this?"

To answer, Bryce got out a rope tied to a hook, a primitive method but a reliable one, as he replied.

"What do you think?"

With that, Bryce chucked the hook far up to the rooftop where it landed before it was dragged away, clinging on to the edge before it could fall off. Seeing this, Bryce gave another pull on it to be sure it wouldn't be unstable and break off prematurely, in which case the hook proved to have stayed on the ledge tightly before Vic and Vincenzo became impressed as the former spoke up to him while the three climbed up on the rope with Bryce being to climb it.

"Hey, nice shot, kid. Maybe you're not such a drag, after all."

Knowing the type of people they are, Bryce didn't take that "compliment" to heart. He knew they only ever saw him as dead weight the moment they laid eyes on him a few days back. Besides, even if they did care about him, he was only doing this just once to get the money he needed for his parents' recovery. After that, Bryce wouldn't go anywhere near that life again.

"Yeah, well, don't expect me to stick around after this."

As the group went up the rope, they had just managed to get on the rooftop where they saw an air vent where they could enter in to avoid detection. Although, there was a problem, at least as far as Vic and Vincenzo were concerned. With how stuffy the vents could prove to be, there's no doubt it'd get dust bunnies on their suits, and they clearly didn't want them to appear worn out, and that's barring the fact that Vincenzo was a bit more... voluminous in body weight than his partner. So, naturally, they opted for Bryce to go in, not that he can complain. Even if he did, they would've forced him to it. All the same, the suits showed him the blueprints of the bank as Vic spoke to him.

"Alright, here's the deal. This air vent should take you in the vicinity of the vault if you go about three paces to the left, two to the right, and then another left. It couldn't be easier."

However, knowing what it requires to get the money to begin with, Bryce didn't consider it wise to forget the main part of the heist.

"Okay. And how do we get the money?"

To answer, Vincenzo held out the same rope that assisted them in climbing to the rooftop out to Bryce as he spoke, reminding him of how useful it was.

"That's where this rope comes in. If it could hold us, it'll hold the bags of money for us, so we can pull it up, make off with the goods, and no one's the wiser."

As Bryce looked at the rope, he couldn't deny the simplicity of what Vincenzo told him, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if he overlooked one simple fact about the plan as he spoke.

"Right, but that'd mean one of us would have to get the money to the rope ourselves while the other pulls on it. And last I checked, you guys refused to go in."

As Vic heard about Bryce's side of the plan, he began to reconsider his standing. If this heist was gonna work, they'd need to work together. Besides, as long as the kid walks in first, he'd be coming out with less dust bunnies.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll be right behind you."

As the two crawled inside the air vent, Bryce and Vic were engaging in a conversation as the former seemed to get more and more dust on him the farther he went, thus proving Vic's theory to be correct on suit preservation.

"Okay, remind me again _why_ I'm going first."

"_Because_. This is a fancy new suit. It won't do to see a single dust mite on this baby; it's worth at least 1/20th of the cash in that vault."

This earned a slow eye roll and a sarcastic reply from Bryce as he could care less about his suit.

"Really? Well, I appreciate your honesty. Besides, it's all black; nobody would notice it."

"Ah, shut your yappin' and just let me know when we—"

Before he could finish, Bryce ended up feeling a grating beneath his elbow and looked down to see a stockpile of cash just below him, surprising Bryce as he spoke to Vic before he replied, grinning at the bounty that awaited them.

"Found it."

"Ah, perfect. Look at all that moolah just waiting for us. This is almost too easy."

"Yeah. Almost."

With that, Bryce dug into his pocket the best he could in such a limited space before getting out a screwdriver to undo the vent grating by about two bolts. As he did so, the grating gave way and fell before dangling from above as Bryce and Vic filtered the rope's end with a hook on it into the gap before it descended down to the vault's treasures. Once that was done, Bryce moved a bit forward until his feet were dangling from the opening, confusing Vic as he spoke.

"Hey, kid. The moolah's that way."

"I know that."

As Bryce replied back, he backed up more until his whole lower body went overboard with him trying to grip the surface area as leverage. From there, Bryce tried to use one hand to grab the rope and caught it before using his other hand to grab onto it as well as his feet. With that done, Bryce shimmied down the rope as Vic held tightly onto it before landing near the countless bags of money surrounding him. From there, Bryce knew what to do as he took one of the bags, poked his hook through it, and tugged on it to be sure that it wouldn't break off before it proved to hold as Bryce looked up to Vic and speaking to him.

"Here's a package for you."

With that, Vic pulled on the rope, carrying the money into his clutches before he verified that the goods were intact as he undid the hook and filtered it down back to Bryce as he smiled.

"Not bad, sport. But we're just getting started."

As the rope got down, however, Bryce couldn't help but get the feeling that maybe it _was _too easy. For one thing, he didn't see any guards at the other side of the vault. Although it was most likely due to the fact that they were closed off, he would've heard them complaining about their long hours without any sleep. As for another factor, what he did hear was just as unsettling. Bryce could barely make it out, but it sounded like an alarm ringing from the other side of the vault.

"Wait. Why is an alarm going—?"

That's when he realized with a gasp as he looked up: although he was able to get down, he must've triggered a hidden security laser. In hindsight, he should've seen it coming, clichéd as it was. It would've given them enough time to get the cash and make a clean getaway. Now, the latter didn't seem like an option anymore; any getaway would help the situation. So, Bryce tried to warn his temporary colleague.

"Oh, no... Vic! The alarm! It went off!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

As Vic said this, he heard the alarms getting louder for himself before he began to see his point for the worst.

"Oh, great... That's it! We're packing out of here!"

In response to such an unprecedented oversight, Vic began to tug the rope up while Bruce held on to it along with one of many bags of the cash inside. From there, Vic led the way, not even caring about the dust mites over his own escape as he shouted to Vincenzo.

"Vinny! It's all gone wrong! We're getting out of here now!"

As his compatriot heard the bad news, he didn't hesitate to back away as Vic and Bryce made quick haste in exiting the vent before Vincenzo tried to find out what went wrong from Vic.

"What happened?"

"Security oversight. We didn't see a hidden laser anywhere. We were underprepared."

As Vic finished explaining this to Vincenzo, they and Bryce heard several police cars driving up to the bank before one of them, the commissioner, got out a megaphone and shouted to the trio.

"Come down from the roof with your hands up! We have you surrounded!"

If this wasn't a great crash on the plan for Bryce, he wouldn't know what is. If he'd just counted on the hidden laser, no matter how clichéd it was, this disaster could've been avoided. Now, he's met with what seemed to be the entire police force. And Vincenzo wasn't handling it any better than the others were as he spoke.

"What do we do, Vic?"

"I'll tell you what we're not gonna do, Vinny. We're not gonna leave empty-handed."

With that, Vic and Vincenzo took the cash that they managed to grab, leaving Bryce confused as he spoke to them. After all, he was promised a cut of the cash to pay for his parents' medical bills. He knew he couldn't trust them, and yet it still made him scared to death that they were going to take away his portion of the share.

"Wait! What about my portion?!"

As an answer, Vic got out a small pistol from his shirt pocket and pointed it at his head.

"You can fuhgeddaboutit. We had this heist all planned out, and yet, you conveniently forgot to tell us about those hidden lasers."

"It was an honest mistake. It was too cliché!"

"Cliché or no, it makes no difference. If you ask me, all bets are off."

As Bryce got held at gunpoint with the police force just behind him, he was caught between a rock and a really hard place. It seemed like there was going to be no way out of this. Or did it...? As Bryce noticed his hook by the vent, he realized there was only one way to get out of this. It may be a long shot, but if it works, he may be able to help his parents after all.

"Looks like there's one thing we can agree on."

With that, Bryce ran towards Vic, catching him off guard enough to force him to pull the trigger. But by the time he did, Bryce was already at his chest as a shot rang out from the pistol which got knocked out of his hand and fell to the ground while Vic tumbled back as Vincenzo became worried before turning to Bryce and scowling at him.

"Vic! You got a date with the undertaker, kid."

Before Vincenzo could get near him, Bryce picked up Vic's pistol and pointed it at him, forcing him to get his own out, leaving a sort of standoff between the two of them as Bryce spoke to him.

"Sorry, but I'll have to cancel."

As they sidestepped, Bryce took his hook and rope from the vent, much to Vic's notice as he growled before standing up and catching him in a full nelson as he spoke in his ear.

"Sorry, kid, but this date is mandatory. Vinny, set him up."

This was where Bryce found himself in a disadvantage and unable to get away. With Vic being one of the adults, he wasn't able to break free. And as long as that was the case, Vincenzo wouldn't miss. Engaging in a fight-or-flight response, Bryce stomped his shoe onto Vic's shoe, making him yell in pain from the action and forcing him to let go of Bryce before he took a money bag and brought it with him as he placed the hook on the ledge and scaled down the wall as Vincenzo shot at him. During this, he missed him several times before shooting at the hook, knocking it off and causing him to take a fall before Bryce fell on his back and felt his bones breaking as he shouted out in pain. As they heard his scream, Vic and Vincenzo looked over the edge and saw Bryce lying on the floor. As they saw him unmoving for a moment, Vincenzo was unsure about what to make of it.

"Is he dead?"

Any other time, they'd go down there and see for themselves and take the money bag he got, but with the cops surrounding them, Vic didn't feel it was the time to check up.

"Don't know, don't care. We gotta beat it before they get to us."

As Vic and Vincenzo looked around for an exit, they realized that there was one: the door that led to the bottom floor of the bank beside the air vent. However, it was bound to be surrounded by the cops, and the only possible exit to guarantee their escape was blown off by Vincenzo. All the more proof that they were doomed from the start as the cops, led by their chief, burst out and saw the thieves with the stolen goods.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!"

As the chief held them under arrest, Bryce tried to work through the pain and lift himself up off the ground, but with little success as he could only manage to lift his upper body up. As he did, Bryce heard the disgruntled grunts of Vic and Vincenzo above him as well as the chief as he read their rights.

"Listen carefully. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court..."

As this went on, Bryce realized that he got a lucky break. If he'd stayed up there any longer, he would've been arrested along with them. Still, there was one last thing that needed to be done. He had the cash, more than enough of it to pay for their health, but Bryce knew they wouldn't take too well to a bank robber. So, he took off the mask and took a deep breath, trying to recover from the fall that he took before he placed his foot on the ground, earning a wince as a good measure of the leg was bundled in pain, though no bones had been broken, thank goodness. From there, Bryce took the cash out of the bag and placed them in his backpack so as not to come off as suspicious by carrying a money bag, and walked as far away from the bank as possible and closer to his parents' salvation.

* * *

With what's happened to him in the heist, the pain still lingered in his legs, so he could only walk as running would make the sensation worse. And on top of that, he had to go to another train station just to make sure the mob wouldn't go after him in case they escaped. It was a long and hard trek through the city of Chicago for a good hour before he finally got to rest on a bench by the station as Bryce tried to catch his breath. While he did, Bryce got out a picture of his mother and father, still holding out hope that the heist he pulled, however unsuccessful it was, will bring them back to him as he spoke.

"Don't worry, Mom. Dad. You'll be up on your feet again, soon."

As Bryce spoke this to himself, he heard a train zipping by. At this point, though, he was anxious. Last time he boarded the train, he didn't rob a bank yet, but after an hour passed over, there's no doubt they'd know all about it. And it made for more than an awkward situation for him; it'll be as if countless people would stare into his soul and deem him unworthy. As Bryce couldn't get over that sensation, he noticed the train zipping by, but it wasn't like the others. It seemed to be more metallic brown than silver and it seemed almost old-fashioned. What's more, it appeared to be pointing the way he wanted to go as the sign said "State Hospital", giving Bryce a sliver of hope for him.

"I did it... I really did it."

As Bryce got up, though, he felt his back acting up again as he grunted. That's when he remembered that he just fell almost 10 feet from the bank. With the backpack full of money that he carried, it made the pain no easier, but if it meant seeing his parents alive and well again, he'd go through it all over again. As he stepped on the train, however, he only saw a black void with a green hole. Soon, that green hole grew bigger and bigger, until it turned out to be getting closer and closer to him. With most of his strength failing him from the heist and the journey, he couldn't move away. All Bryce could do was watch as the green light consumed him...

**A/N: Hello. How was it? I hope you all enjoyed this preview. You're probably wondering where the story would go from there, and I'll tell you this much. Before Bryce could go to the Grid Car, he has to deal with a car of his own. "What car is it", you ask? Well, you'll have to wait until September to find out...**


	2. The Orphanage Car

**A/N: Hello. :) I'm so glad you guys appreciated my story. I didn't think I'd get over 200 views on this one chapter by September, but I did. And I feel like you guys have waited long enough for it, so here's a new chapter for my story. After I posted the chapter, between working on stories and working in general as I have a job, I have been workshopping this chapter and taking my time trying to make sure that not a lot about the train and the number are revealed just yet. So, if there's anything wrong with the chapter, or if you have any other ideas for what Car I should add as I plan for it to be longer than the miniseries, please review or PM me at your earliest convenience. Until then, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Act I - Chapter I: **The Orphanage Car

As Bryce tried to recover his eyesight from the sudden green flash that overwhelmed him, he tried to make out the scenery. During the time that he did, he tried to convince himself that he must be inside the train that stopped by. Maybe it was a serene, old-fashioned type, like the ones in the 1800's, assuming the exterior was anything to go by. Or, taking into account the green flash, it could've been some sort of hype train he heard about. When he regained his eyesight, however, Bryce was appalled to find none of those things. In fact, what he found was something far from any train's interior. When he could see again, he could clearly see... a large, white, and wooden house with a front yard the length of a football field, a blue roof, and a pathway that led to it.

"Huh? What in the world...?"

This threw Bryce for a loop at the time he saw it. The last thing he remembered, he was walking into a train that would take him to the State Hospital before the flash. Could he have been dreaming this? It was possible, and given the surroundings, it seemed to be the only thing to make sense.

"How did I get here? And... _why _am I here? I was supposed to be headed to— Wait. I've— I've gotta be dreaming."

To test this theory out, Bryce tried to give himself a pinch on his wrist. As a result, he ended up feeling the tight and small squeeze, making him wince before he came to a conclusion.

"Okay. Definitely not dreaming. But wait. If I wasn't dreaming..."

Then the heist he pulled off, the car crash his parents got into that spurred him into it, the fall off of the bank, all of it was real. And if that was the case, then the money he'd taken should be where he last put it. To confirm this, Bryce tried to look in his backpack for the cash. Fortunately, his fears were driven away once he noticed it was still inside. With that in mind, Bryce knew that the only thing to do now is to pay the expenses himself. The only problem was, he still had no clue where he is.

"Okay, so the money is still safe. But... where do I go from there...?"

Where, indeed? He didn't remember seeing anything remotely close to this place in Chicago, or anywhere. That's when he began to develop a crazy idea; did that train take him there by mistake? It must have; it did appear old-fashioned. Whatever the case, whether or not his idea of the train taking him to this place was well-founded, Bryce felt that it would be best to find a way back to Chicago, wherever he is, and pay those medical expenses. But as he tried to think of how to do it, however, Bryce felt the staggering pain on his back and legs, returning in full force as he groaned before he recalled the fall again.

"Oh. Right. Of course, that happened..."

As the pain flowed through him, Bryce tried to place his hand on his head to ride out the headache that arrived along with the back pain. While he tried to recover, he began to wonder if he got a concussion from the fall, too. However, the moment he placed is hand on his head, Bryce noticed an eerie green glow above him. When he pulled his hand down, Bryce was immediately shocked to notice something bizarre on his hand. It was a green number that said "135". Upon seeing this, Bryce was immediately taken aback by this as he spoke.

"What the...? Is that a tattoo?"

Convinced that it was, Bryce tried to lick his finger and scrub it off. However, Bryce had no success in doing so as it still remained on his right hand, clear as day. And at the moment, it annoyed him deeply as he groaned.

"Great. First, my head, my back, and my legs are hurting like heck, and now my hand has some... weird, glowing permanent tattoo!"

Angry as he was with his situation, Bryce tried to focus on what he set out to do in spite of his pain. After all, just standing there whining about it wouldn't help get anything done. In lieu of that, Bryce took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure as he reminded himself of what's most important.

"Okay. Calm down, Bryce. You can still get back home. Wherever this place is, they gotta have a sort of transportation. Maybe I can get a ride to the hospital. One that isn't some crazy train."

As Bryce theorized on what to do, however, the pain assaulted him again as he winced before he decided to take an alternate course.

"Although, it wouldn't hurt to get looked at first."

It may prove to be a good idea after all. Beyond trying to help himself recover faster, Bryce knew that he wouldn't be able to get to his mother and father if he couldn't find some way to get rid of his physical pain. For one thing, he'd collapse before he could get to them, and another thing was that if they saw how much pain he's in, they'd feel like it was their fault for putting him in that position. But he's becoming a man; they shouldn't blame themselves for his mistakes. And that man must get some help so as not to cause that scenario, assuming he can get there. For now, the best way to do that seemed to be talking to whoever owned the place and see if they could patch him up.

As Bryce walked over to the yard, he could see the little children playing tag, smelling flowers, reading books, and just lying on the soft grass. He didn't get to see this kind of place in a long time, especially more so since they appeared to be more well-behaved, so he couldn't help but be in awe at how... happy they were. At very least, they never had his problems, so that much was obvious. Nevertheless, along with trying to find the owner, he began to think about what this place really was.

"Whoa... Is it some kind of daycare or something?"

As Bryce walked on the pathway that cut just in between the grass to the home, the children couldn't help but notice him. After all, as far as they were concerned, they've never seen him before, so he got their attention pretty easily. And it wasn't long before Bryce took notice of the children's eyes staring at him. As if the scenario he feared before the train showed up wasn't enough, now it had to be the children actually staring at him. And needless to say, he wasn't quite comfortable with it at all. Then again, they are children, so focusing on that part put him at ease a bit before he waved to them with his left hand, still not sure what to make of how they'd react to his other hand.

"Uh... hi?"

When he waved to them, Bryce was afraid that he would give them the wrong impression. However, how the children responded proved it wasn't the case. As he continued to walk to the door, the children began to get curious about him as they whispered to each other.

"Who's that? Do you know?"

"No. Why does he look like that?"

"He looks hurt..."

During that time, Bryce assumed they must be feeling sorry for him. Who wouldn't, looking the way he did? He did fall off a building and hurt his back and legs. Anyone in his position would get the same treatment. Regardless, he just knocked on the door and tried to get any help he could for his back and legs.

"H-Hello? Is anyone there?"

As an answer to his query and knocking, the door slightly opened to see a woman with a tan, long-sleeved shirt, a grey skort, and long, black leggings to go with her white shoes at the same time she herself was met with his squalor countenance. When the woman saw him, she became worried for him, which admittedly was the outcome Bryce saw coming. With the damage his body went through, anyone could see it coming.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Yeah, about that. Do you guys have a doctor? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie: I'm in real pain right now."

As Bryce gave a sharp groan following his statement, his legs finally gave out, as if they were shut down by a remote control, forcing the woman to hold onto him as she wrapped her arms around him before she lifted him up as best as she could. In doing so, the woman took notice of a green number on his right hand and made an audible gasp in response. For whatever reason, she seemed to be... afraid of it. In that instant, the woman put his arm behind her head and over her shoulders as she walked him over the hall.

"It's okay, sir. There's a doctor's office just down the hall. He can help you."

As the woman carried him off to the doctor's office, neither one noticed a little girl in the hall with long, brown hair (well, as long as it could get at her young age), and a short, light pink jacket paired up with a white shirt and pants just watching them. As she did, she couldn't help but become curious and wanted to go closer. And so, she proceeded behind them to follow them while the woman showed Bryce to the man that sported black hair and a traditional doctor's outfit who was just walking out of his office before she spoke to him.

"Excuse me, Dr. West! I need your help?"

"What's going on?"

"This man needs help. He told me he was in pain. And he has a number on him, too."

As the woman showed the doctor a number on his right hand, he was stunned at this event. Judging from the expression, he seemed to know what it meant, too. Although, Bryce was beginning to get tired, what with him walking through Chicago in pain for about an hour, so it was hard to tell for him. Regardless, the doctor saw the urgency to help him, at least with the injuries he'd received.

"I see. Just bring him over. We'll get him looked at right away."

As Ms. Tabitha and Dr. West ushered Bryce into the latter's office, the girl that snuck behind them saw the circumstance and couldn't help but wonder what his presence here meant. As much as she wanted to know, though, the girl had rules to follow like everyone else, the first rule being that she can't be talking to strangers. But that didn't mean she can't be curious about him. Whether or not he's the person she should talk to, the girl didn't know yet. Hopefully, when things are cleared up with him, she could finally know the answer.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the doctor's office, Bryce was now dressed in a patient's garb. From there, he took the standard trials that doctors usually gave to new patients, ranging from checking their heartbeats with a stethoscope to eyesight check. Bryce felt they were arbitrary from what he had in mind, but he couldn't rush the process, even if he wanted to. Even if he wasn't injured, the doctor would tell him to hold still. After what felt like a long undertaking, Bryce had passed all of them before Dr. West got to the heart of the matter: the pain on his back and his stiff legs. As the doctor looked over them, he made several mumbles of fascination over his condition while on the other side of the room, that is to say the waiting room of the office which is decorated with a cat clock on the bright blue wall, chairs pushed all the way to the back, and a door that held a room for hospital patients on the other side, the woman became worried and wanted to know his condition as soon as possible. And it wasn't a minute too soon as Dr. West came outside before she spoke to him.

"So... what's the prognosis?"

"I've just finished the checkup, Ms. Tabitha. And I have some bad news and good news."

"What's the bad news?"

"When he arrived here not long ago, the bones in his back were fractured, though they were incomplete, thank goodness. And on top of that, he also got a slight concussion on his head. As for the legs, they were overworked, most likely from excessive use of their muscles. Beyond that, though, he's physically healthy."

As she heard the news, Ms. Tabitha became worried about the condition he was in. It was a miracle that he's lasted long enough to get here. If he didn't get any help before, then he might've kicked the bucket too quickly. Then, she remembered that Dr. West had good news to give her as she spoke again.

"And what's the good news?"

"The conditions of which I mentioned are treatable. The young man will be absolutely fine."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Tabitha felt it was a relief that he'd make it. Although, at the same time, considering how he just collapsed on top of her, she had a small doubt that his injuries would be very quick to fix.

"Are you sure?"

"I told you he's physically healthy apart from the obvious. All he needs is a good rest, a good dose of ibuprofen, and he should be up and about tomorrow in the afternoon at the very least."

As she heard the news, Ms. Tabitha felt it was a good thing that it was the case now that it's been confirmed. Because in the heat of the moment, she knew what she saw on his hand. For all she knew, he must've been through a lot to get this far. And it was truly no exaggeration with the injuries he got. However, what she didn't know was whether or not he was someone she could trust. Then, she realized that she didn't quite know his name, either and spoke to the doctor about it.

"Did you get his name?"

"Considering that he's a new patient, I had to. Said his name was Bryce Gideon."

As she heard his name, Ms. Tabitha showed a curious look his way towards the young man on the doctor's bed. That's two things she knows about him now, his name and his number. However, there's still a lot she doesn't know about him, and it made her worried. Not only did the suspense of whether or not he was a good person get to her, but the wait for his recovery by itself was just as worrying. At this point, she might as well be doing heads or tails trying to decide who he was.

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"Not a thing. Well, apart from this one thing, anyway. He's looking for his mother and father."

As she heard this reply, Ms. Tabitha made a gasp of realization from this as the pieces linked up together. Whatever he went through must've happened where he lived, though she couldn't figure out what. All the same, she's relieved that he wasn't someone hostile, at least not entirely. However, she had to wonder if he knew what the number on his hand meant. Whether or not he does, though, more than anything, Ms. Tabitha just hoped that he can recover.

* * *

Not long after the prognosis was given, Ms. Tabitha came out of the office and noticed the little girl just standing by the door. This earned a small smile to her as she had a feeling that she knew what the little girl was doing.

"Penny? Were you trying to see if the man that came in here wanted to adopt you?"

As Ms. Tabitha spoke this to the little girl, she tried to answer her as best she could concerning Bryce's arrival. Truth was, Penny was actually shy as much as she was curious. Whenever new people came over, she would try to get close enough to get a good look at the person while keeping a good distance away. If Penny felt like she got too close, she would either back away or retreat to her room. However, the situation was always different with her foster mother around; as long as she was with her, she'd try to break away from the shyness. But the attempts would usually come slow, just like now for instance.

"Mm-hmm."

As she heard the answer, Ms. Tabitha lifted Penny in her arms and cradled her as she sat down on a chair adjacent to the doctor's office as she spoke.

"Aw, sweetie. You know adoption day isn't until tomorrow."

"I know. I thought he had a head start, though."

Hearing Penny's theory on why he came when he did, she couldn't help but make a gentle giggle. For such a shy child, she had such a cute way of thinking. Not everyone focused on her thinking, though, so much as her shyness. That's why she'd always be inside her room while everyone else was outside. Despite it, though, the woman knew Penny had much more than her shyness.

"I can see that. But, he's actually looking for a place to rest. He's just been through a lot."

"So, he's not going to adopt me, then?"

Seeing the saddened expression on her face, Ms. Tabitha couldn't help but feel bad for her. She knew how much Penny wanted to be adopted in spite of her shyness. To her, it meant that someone cared about her for who she was. For people to not take her in, well... it was easily assumed that she didn't want to be adopted after all. However, Ms. Tabitha knew otherwise, and she didn't feel right to crush her dreams like this.

"I don't know, Penny. We'll have to see what he thinks tomorrow, okay?"

As Penny received her answer, she looked up to Ms. Tabitha, clearly not willing to wait that long for the answer as she spoke.

"Why can't we ask him now?"

"Because the doctor said he needs his rest, Penny. Like I said, he's had a tough time. Besides, he's a stranger. And you know the rules, don't you?"

As Ms. Tabitha explained this to Penny, she couldn't help but make a disappointed groan. She knew it was part of the rules, but she didn't take kindly to waiting for an answer. When Ms. Tabitha saw her sad face, however, she wanted to cheer her up as she spoke.

"Come on, Penny. Don't be like that. You're just new to this adoption day thing, that's all. I told you it'll take some time. But still, there's gonna be people who'll want to be with you. I'm sure of it."

"Really? You promise?"

"I promise."

As Ms. Tabitha gave Penny a gentle hug, she couldn't help but find herself in a dilemma. On one hand, she didn't know how much trouble Bryce brought with him, but on the other, if nobody came for Penny on adoption day, she'd be spending another adoption day disappointed and alone. Of the two scenarios, she didn't know which was worse. This made her cautiously look over to the doctor's door, wondering what happened for him to end up like this. Once she gets an answer from him about that, she'll know for sure who he is and why he is here...

* * *

Later at night, Bryce had just taken the medicine for his headache as he laid on the bed in the office, trying to grasp the reality of his situation. Before he came in, he was so sure it wasn't a dream, but when he got in, when he was being checked up, a part of him hoped that he'd see his parents there. But regrettably, they weren't. Coming to terms with that made him believe that he really was dreaming. He couldn't help but wonder for himself out loud about that. Before then, though, Dr. West was doing the talking.

"There you are, Mr. Gideon. The ibuprofen should kick in by tomorrow morning, and provided you give your legs and your bones some time to heal from, you'll be good as new."

"Hey, doc? Am I dreaming?"

As Dr. West heard his query, he became confused on the subject and turned to him.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, it's just— when I first got here, I was so sure that I wasn't dreaming. But then, when I got in this room, I thought... I thought for a second that I'd see my mom and dad there, too."

"So? What's your point?"

This made Bryce take a deep breath, trying to relax from the stress he's had all day. Once he was calm enough, Bryce continued to speak to him as he spoke.

"My point is, when I found out they weren't here, I— I don't know. Somehow, it just made me think I'm losing my mind."

"Well, are you?"

As Dr. West spoke to Bryce so casually, the patient took his turn to be confused as he spoke.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Think about it this way, Mr. Gideon. Do you know how your brain works?"

Thinking it was too simple a question to help him, Bryce answered quickly.

"Uh, yeah. That's where ideas and memories come from. And dreams, too."

"Yes, but do you know _how _they come as they go?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Seeing that Bryce was slow on the uptake, Dr. West decided to help him learn how the brain works.

"You see, one part of your brain allows you to read, and dreaming is handled by the other."

"So?"

"So, you can't read and dream at the same time; it's virtually impossible."

This made Bryce remember when he took the eyesight exam as he looked over to the sign and spoke up about it.

"So, you're saying that if I can't read something... then I'm dreaming?"

"That's the gist of it, yes. But don't be too upset. At least now you know you're not going crazy."

That much was a relief to Bryce, of course. But at the same time, it disheartened him. If only his whole situation was just a nightmare, then who knows? Maybe he'd still see his parents every morning when he got out of bed, like always. But instead, he found out that everything that happened from the car crash to the bank heist to the train was all real. And the worst part was, he was still out of the loop on everything. As the very idea haunted him in the form of his glowing number, Bryce took a sigh before he spoke sadly, much to Dr. West's curiosity.

"Yeah. Right..."

"Are you alright, Mr. Gideon?"

"I'm fine, doc. It's just— Can I have some space for now?"

"Might be just as well. You'll need your rest, anyways."

As the doctor began to walk out, though, he was surprised to see Ms. Tabitha on the other side of the door before he opened it. She, of all people, knew how important it was that he got his rest, so he was no doubt being confused over her presence here.

"Why, Ms. Tabitha. Are you just checking in on Mr. Gideon?"

"No, not just that. I want to talk to him."

Considering that he needs his rest, Dr. West felt that what she could talk to him about might hinder it. Although, he wasn't blind to the number on his hand, either. He couldn't argue that the topic was important, but he also felt it should be best explained in future as he tried to protest.

"You want to talk about that now? But Ms. Tabitha—"

"I know. But the sooner we talk, the sooner we can all rest."

Concerned about the delivery of the news, the doctor looked over to Bryce before looking back to Ms. Tabitha before he sighed and conceded.

"Alright. But don't forget this, Ms. Tabitha. He's still a boy."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As the doctor took his cue to leave, Ms. Tabitha walked over to him before sitting on one of the many chairs by the walls as Bryce tried to figure out what she wanted to talk about. He wasn't out of earshot anyways, and she must know it.

"Okay, what's going on?"

As Bryce spoke to her, he was unaware that even Ms. Tabitha was unsure about telling him. Like Dr. West said, he's still a boy. Any predicament like his would make anyone stressed out. However, it was also like she said herself. The sooner she told him what was going on, the sooner he can rest, or at least get close to it. So, Ms. Tabitha took a deep breath before starting with the elephant in the room.

"I know you must have a lot of questions. For example, you're wondering why you have a number on your hand."

The instant the words left her mouth, Bryce looked to his hand containing the numbers "137" and became shocked that she noticed it. Most of all, the way she was talking to him about it made it seem she knew more than she let on.

"So, wait... you know something about this?"

"Something about it, yes."

"Well, what does it mean? Am I being timed or something?"

Hearing his question made her shake her head as she spoke again, this time asking her own question to verify why he's here.

"No, I don't think so. But for now, let's talk about you. What's the last thing you remember before you got here?"

Although he felt like she was dodging the question, Bryce wasn't exactly in any position to argue. If she knew more than she's letting on, he'd have no choice but to listen to her. Besides, he didn't have the number before he got on that train at the station. So, he proceeded to tell her what he knew, though he tried to make sense of it all. At the same time, he was afraid of how she'd react if she knew about his exploits prior to the train, so he purposely omitted it as he replied.

"Well... last I remember, I was going to a train station. I had a rough time that day, and... I wanted to see my mom and dad again. But then, there was this weird train. It kinda looked old-fashioned, but it... it's almost like it knew where I wanted to go. So, obviously I had to go in. When I did, there was this green flash, and I... I woke up here."

Having been told his story, Ms. Tabitha found his story to be sad. Yet, at the same time, she felt like he was holding out on him. She couldn't decide then and there whether or not he was telling the truth. So, she needed to have something that could verify his words as she spoke.

"And how do I know you're not lying to me? How do I know you're not just trying to use me?"

Confused as he was to hear her say it, he began to assume the worst and became afraid to explain further. At that moment, however, Bryce remembered the picture that he always looked at prior to the train's arrival. Normally, he'd never let anyone else get to hold it since he's afraid it'll be damaged. But with him not being able to move from his stretcher until tomorrow, he had no choice but to let her see it herself as he spoke.

"Look in my jacket pocket. It'll prove that I'm not lying to you."

As Ms. Tabitha looked over to Bryce's jacket, seeing it and his backpack on the chair, left over from his checkup before she stood up and walked to it. When she reached into the pocket, she felt a thin, yet strong layer inside and pulled it out. What Ms. Tabitha saw next made her completely astounded: she saw a picture of a little boy with his mother and father. To verify it was true, she turned to Bryce and showed him the picture.

"Is... is that you?"

"Yeah. Me, my mom, and my dad."

Once Bryce reassured her of the truth, Ms. Tabitha took a sigh of relief, now knowing for sure who he was: someone who loved his parents so much. This knowledge, however, only added another question. If he loved his parents like he said, then why did he end up on this train to begin with, other than a rough day? Truth be told, Ms. Tabitha wanted to know, but she realized that she didn't explain what the number meant as far as she knew. That's what the topic started off with, after all; it wouldn't be right not to finish it. So, she got back to that topic as she put the picture back in his jacket's pocket.

"I see. Now, about your number. You said a green flash came from the train, right?"

"Yeah. What does that mean?"

"Like I said earlier, I know _something _about it, but... I don't know everything."

As Bryce heard her reply, he could tell that she was getting worried, but he didn't quite know what for. Was she worried about what the number really meant for people like him, or was she afraid of her inability to know everything about the number's role in the grand scheme of things? Either way, she seemed especially worried about it. All things considered, he himself was getting worried. Hoping to dissuade his fears and hers, Bryce tried to speak to her about what was within her knowledge.

"Well... what _do_ you know?"

Upon being asked this, Ms. Tabitha took a deep breath, trying to find some way to break the news of it to him as she turned to him.

"All I know about the number is that those who have it... don't always turn out to be good people. I should know."

With that, Ms. Tabitha rolled up her right sleeve to show a small, thin divot on her arm to Bryce. It was almost as if a screwdriver was plunged into her arm by force, or at least that seemed to be the exhibit. As he saw it, he couldn't help but become confused before she explained.

"The last person I met who had a number did this to me. I didn't see it coming. It happened so fast."

As he heard the words that came out of her mouth, Bryce couldn't believe what he heard. It wasn't necessarily helpful in knowing what the number truly meant, but at the same time, Bryce began to understand why she was suspicious of him. Ms. Tabitha must've had a hard time with whoever attacked her like that. Given what he's done to get to the train so far, Bryce would probably be a little suspicious of himself as well. But then again, he'd think it was the only thing he could do to make what happened to his parents right. Regardless, he felt sorry for her all the same.

"Whoa... I had no idea."

Hearing his sympathetic and understanding tone, Ms. Tabitha could tell that he felt sorry for her. And she wouldn't blame him for feeling that way as she rolled her sleeve back down.

"It's okay. The scar didn't hurt as much as it used to. Not anymore. I know better now."

Whether or not that was a good thing, Bryce still couldn't help but feel bad for what she had to go through. However, he was also worried about his parents and how they're coping with their broken bodies. This made him remember what he was going to do before the train showed up and took him away. Just thinking about how quickly the opportunity was taken away from him made him angry, but he knew better than to take it out on her. Rather, he tried to get to the point as gently as he can with her.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you, but... I really need to get back home to my mom and dad."

As she recalled what he told her about what happened before now, Ms. Tabitha turned back to Bryce, knowing that he has a family waiting for him. On the other hand, Penny didn't have a family to go to for her case. As she recalled how curious she was about him to see if he wanted to adopt her, Ms. Tabitha couldn't help but think back on her saddened face when she was told the truth. If she didn't get anyone to adopt her and soon, sooner or later, Penny might be heartbroken. And that was something she didn't want to see as she spoke up to Bryce.

"I understand. But... if I may, can I ask a favor from you before you go?"

"Huh? What's up?"

"Well... it's just— Tomorrow happens to be adoption day. When you came in here, one of the children I looked after was very interested in you."

"Yeah. So were the others."

Given how injured he was, it did make sense for them to notice Bryce and talk about him. As far as Penny, though, he didn't quite notice her. He didn't know how hopeful she was that she'd be adopted when he walked in. Maybe it was due to the physical injuries overwhelming him, but he didn't see how she longed for someone, _anyone, _to take her with them. But Ms. Tabitha was going to fix that problem as she spoke to him.

"Well, not like her. When you came in, she was convinced someone came by early to adopt her."

As Bryce listened to what she said, he began to assume the worst as he spoke cautiously to her.

"And, uh, what did you tell her?"

"I told her that you were just having a rough time and that you needed your rest."

This earned a sigh of relief from Bryce as he seemed to have dodged a bullet. Given his track record for cleaning his room, he failed to see how he can manage babysitting. That job was better left for professionals, as far as he was concerned. And yet, he still felt that the favor hasn't been brought up yet as he spoke up to her.

"Then... what's the favor?"

"When I told her, she got upset. See, it's her first time being eligible for adoption, and she hasn't had any luck so far. So, I'm wondering if... well, I realize it may be a bit much for you, but all I'm asking as a favor... is to adopt Penny."

The instant Bryce heard those words, he became taken aback. The bullet he once thought he dodged just ricocheted back at him and struck his proverbial mind at the thought. As Bryce's shocked look on his face formed, he made no hesitation to give his answer.

"What?! No way!"

With Ms. Tabitha taken aback by the suddenness of his reply, Bryce realized that he was causing a scene, even if it was just between the two of them and retracted his loud volume and his shocked tone before he tried again.

"Sorry about that. It's just... why are you asking _me _to do that?"

"Because, from what you told me, you... you seem like the kind of person who can look after her."

"But I'm not, okay? I can't even look after my room. Why can't you trust her with anyone else?"

As Bryce proceeded with his rebuttal, he was unintentionally stirring something in Ms. Tabitha as she clenched her hands. Judging from the tension forming in her face, Bryce was afraid to know what it held for him. Was she getting angry with him? It seemed most likely that she was after her role in his recovery and how he's apparently repaid it with a complete disregard. However, Ms. Tabitha held something else on her face: fear. As Bryce took notice of that development as well, she explained what she fully meant.

"Because anyone else would leave her here, and they did. I told her there'd be someone willing to adopt her, and there wasn't. And every single time, I let Penny down. I just— I can't do that again. I can't be a failure again..."

Having laid bare her soul on the subject, Ms. Tabitha was under threat of shedding tears in the heat of the moment. As for Bryce, he began to realize why she'd ask him this. With how worked up she's getting, she must feel herself to be a failure. At first, it didn't make sense, but then he remembered that crucial point in his memory. One where he understood how things worked in places like the orphanage.

* * *

_About ten years back, it showed him as a young boy, like he was in his picture, looking through the window of the car to see other children all lined up as seemingly random strangers selected them. The concept was foreign to him back then, so he assumed it was a suspicious activity and spoke up to his mother who sat in a passenger seat._

"_Mom, shouldn't we call the police?"_

"_What for?"_

"_Those kids are being kidnapped."_

_As she heard his question and his reasoning, his mother became confused and looked over her window to see what Bryce was looking at. When she saw this, she gave a small giggle as she spoke._

"_No, Bryce. It's fine. They're just being adopted."_

"_Adopted? What is that?"_

_At that moment, to help him understand the concept, his father spoke up to Bryce as he began driving on the road as the streetlights turned green._

"_Well, son, orphanages like these have what they call... adoption days. And being adopted means that you end up selected by another parent to live with their family. Like what you saw back there, for instance."_

_Hearing the concept, Bryce took notice of one of the adopted riding in a car with a family that selected him and saw how happy he was. As he saw it, Bryce couldn't help but come up with a crazy idea. Having just learned about it, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity like any young child and spoke the words from out of his mouth._

"_Does that mean I can have a baby sister?"_

_As the father heard how excited Bryce was, he couldn't help but smile at his optimism. Yet, he knew that not everything was as simple as that and tried to explain it to him._

"_About that, it's not exactly that simple, kiddo. For one thing, kids like them cost a lot of dough to buy. And their relationship with their foster mother is another. Who knows how close they are with her? Wouldn't want to mess up with that jazz."_

"_But what if they wanted someone to get adopted?"_

"_Well, if she wanted to get that person adopted on the grounds of trying to keep her happy, then that's a different story. But even then, we just don't have the funds for it."_

_Once he recognized the dilemma, Bryce had yet another crazy idea that, believe it or not, was more rational than the others he's had in his youth. For example, one of them entailed a tripwire that would take a picture of Santa Claus when he would sneak in their house. However, it seemed old Saint Nicholas evaded his clever trap, which disappointed him. However, he had a feeling that this time was going to be different. Because he knew it would make his potential sister and himself happy._

"_Maybe I will. Maybe I can get a job and work really hard to get money, and then she can be happy."_

_As her mother heard her son's latest uninhibited idea, she couldn't help but smile at the thought as she giggled before she spoke._

"_That's something to think about. And I know she'd be proud of how helpful you can be, just like we are."_

* * *

In the present day, Bryce remembered that idea he's had when he was little. It was a childish idea back then, but now, Bryce was beginning to consider it. And he was also considering how hard Ms. Tabitha had apparently tried to make Penny happy, with every vain effort diminishing her joy. It was only at that moment did he realize what her father was talking about in this case; it truly was a different story as opposed to her earlier statement that it was a favor. And so, he reconsidered his earlier answer of outburst and gave another which consisted of understanding as he spoke to her.

"Okay. I'll do it."

As she heard Bryce's reply, Ms. Tabitha looked up to him and tried to confirm what she just heard.

"What? You will?"

"My Mom and Dad always wanted me to be helpful. And if adopting her would help you, then I'm in."

Having heard his reason for being willing to adopt Penny, Ms. Tabitha knew she was right about him. Originally, she had her doubts, but since she got to know him, she could count on him a little better now. And it brought great joy in her heart to know that Penny would be well taken care of. So, she couldn't help but shed the tears she once tried to hold at bay before she gave him a big hug as she spoke.

"Thank you! Thank you so much...!"

However, in her moment of emotional reprieve, Ms. Tabitha inadvertently began crushing Bryce as he tried to speak up, causing her to take notice of what she was doing and to cease her action.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy, okay?!"

"Oh! Sorry about that. Still, thank you."

"Sure. You're welcome."

At that moment, Bryce realized that he forgot that he had to pay for the adoption as he spoke up.

"Oh, wait. Do I need to pay for the adoption?"

"You don't have to worry. It's on me."

"Wait, really? Well, thanks."

"No. Thank you."

With that, Ms. Tabitha left the room with a warm smile on her face, relieved that Penny would get her wish tomorrow and have a family. That is, assuming they can be able to get to his home, but given how he's managed to survive his injuries, she's certain that they'll cross the bridge when they come to it. As for Bryce, he wasn't quite sure how it'd turn out, but he just couldn't say no to her after what she went through. For now, he began to have two concerns, one being how to get to his mother and father, and the other being how to take care of Penny. Personally, he's never met her before, but if she's anything like those kids who noticed him this morning, he might have his hands full. All the same, he knew his mom and dad would be proud to at least try to help her. Still, it hurt that he wouldn't see them for some time as he spoke to himself.

"Mom... Dad... just wait a little longer for me, okay?"

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining into the window and onto Bryce, causing him to stir from his sleep. As he did, he sat up from the hospital bed and yawned as Bryce tried to wake up. Once he opened his eyes, Bryce looked around and saw that he was still in the doctor's office, much to his disappointment before remembering that he wasn't dreaming last night as Dr. West told him. Being reminded of this, Bryce took a look at his hand and saw the number on his hand was still there, much to his furthered disappointment as he knew it wasn't a dream before he sighed.

"Why can't I just be home already?"

Just then, he heard the yells of little children as they ran outside before he looked out the window by his side and saw that the little children were outside playing on the field as if they never saw him yesterday. This struck him as odd at first, but then he remembered why they were so excited.

"Oh, right. Adoption day. Now, I just gotta find Penny and be on my way. Wait... who is Penny?"

Along with that, he remembered what he and Ms. Tabitha talked about the night before and what he agreed to. However, the problem was he didn't get around to asking who Penny was in the orphanage. If he'd realized what he'd forgotten sooner, he wouldn't have had this problem now. Although it was a minor inconvenience that would normally be solved, Bryce was also in a rush to get back to his parents, so he didn't quite have the stress-free experience in that situation. So, he was forced to stand up from his bed and get his clothes on, along with his jean jacket and backpack before he ran out the door. From there, he went to Ms. Tabitha, who was just by the main door before she turned to him and saw he was rushed as she spoke.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing. I just realized, I forgot to ask who Penny was. And I'm also kinda in a hurry, too."

As an unexpected reply, he heard a small, cute little sneeze from in the hall before he turned to see the girl in question looking at him. Upon seeing him look at her, though, she quickly panicked and retreated to her room as she exclaimed before Ms. Tabitha gave a smile to him and spoke up, knowing he found the mark.

"That's Penny."

"Her? Really?"

"Mm-hmm. I told you before that she's not like the others."

"Not like the others, huh?"

As Bryce looked back down to the hall, he began to see why as Penny slowly peeked her head out of the door. The signs of her difference were practically staring him in the face: unlike the other kids, she must be shy. That seemed to be the only explanation for it, aside from him being a stranger. However, there was still a lot about her that he didn't know. And he wanted to get that mystery solved as he spoke to Ms. Tabitha.

"Different how? Is she shy?"

"Yeah. But she always tried her best to get as close to them as she could. But they never had the patience to let her try."

Hearing this, Bryce wasn't sure he had the patience, either. He had his mom and dad that needed him to help them, and he had the money to do that, but he had not the time to wait around. However, at the same time, he knew that if they were here, they'd tell him to be patient. And it was based on that teaching that he chose to adopt this lesson just as he would adopt the girl in front of him. His parents always wanted him to stay helpful and nice to those who need him, and this was no exception.

"Good thing I'm here."

With that, Bryce walked carefully to Penny, each step he took making her a bit cautious as she started to retreat to her room before he spoke up to her.

"Hey, don't go away. It's okay."

As Penny heard his voice in a gentle tone, she turned back to him in a curious expression. Usually, the adults who wanted to adopt her would chase after her, either thinking that she was playing a game with them (something they didn't always have time for) or that she didn't want to leave. Ms. Tabitha would then try to persuade them that she really did want to be adopted, but the attempts would always be fruitless. This situation, however, was different. It's almost as if he cared about the way she thought and how she felt. Further evidence of it presented itself as he spoke to her.

"If you don't want to come over just yet, I understand. I can wait."

While Bryce sat down on the floor, Penny became confused. She couldn't understand why Bryce would sit down on the floor at the moment. Frankly, neither could Ms. Tabitha. But the method seemed to be working as Penny began stepping closer and closer to Bryce, her cautious pace turning into a walk. At that moment, Bryce held his hands out for her before she stopped as she started losing her nerves for a moment. Seeing her like this, Bryce became admittedly frustrated that it was taking longer than he would've liked, but reminded himself of what his parents taught him as he tried to help her ease into it, taking one hand away to leave the other remaining for her as he spoke.

"It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

With Bryce's words speaking as gentle as ever, Penny looked back to see a lone hand, waiting for her to take it before looking to see Bryce's face shown to be smiling at her. She never got that look from the other adults that came to adopt her, so this feeling it gave her was easily preferable. And so, Penny, cautious as she was, slowly placed her hands on Bryce's hand before he spoke.

"There. See? I'm not going anywhere yet. Not without you."

As Penny heard what he said, this made her take an audible gasp of surprise before she looked up to Ms. Tabitha, beginning to wonder if she had something to do with it. To confirm her role, she gave a small smile to the little girl, knowing she'd finally get her wish. And this made her exceedingly happy as Penny gave Bryce a hug, surprising him for the moment before he reciprocated with his own as Penny looked up to Ms. Tabitha and smiled as she spoke.

"Thank you, Ms. Tabby."

While Ms. Tabitha gave a nod back to her with tears in her eyes, Bryce felt it was time to get going and stood up, holding her as he felt her weight on his arms as he grunted before turning to Ms. Tabitha.

"Whoa. You're getting big. I can tell. So, do you know a way out of here?"

"Of course. I can show you the way out."

* * *

With that, Ms. Tabitha, Bryce, and Penny walked outside of the house to the backyard. It was positively brimming with hedge trimmings shaped like various animals. Upon seeing such stunning art, Bryce couldn't believe his eyes. It was almost like he was in a rich person's own house, which would explain why she didn't need the money.

"Whoa... this looks so beautiful."

Hearing how taken to the scenery Bryce was, she couldn't help but smile as she spoke.

"I'm glad you like it. Our hedge-clipper works very hard on them every day. He can show you where the exit is."

As they passed by one of the hedge trimming that was shaped like a lion, they noticed said hedge-clipper, dressed up in a green gardening outfit, complete with jean overalls over his blue shirt, green gloves, and boots, working on one as he waved to them while speaking to Ms. Tabitha.

"Hello, all. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It sure is, Dan."

At that moment, Dan the hedge-clipper noticed Bryce with Penny and became surprised. In all the years he worked there, he didn't think Penny would get adopted with how shy she is, so you could understand his joy when he spoke.

"Well, would you look at that? Little Penny's finally getting adopted after all."

As Dan chuckled, Penny gave a small smile to Dab as she spoke before Bryce gave a small laugh to be polite before trying to get back to the point of being out here.

"Uh-huh. I get to have a family when we get home."

"Yeah. That's right. But, uh, I'm wondering if you know the way out of here."

"Sure I do. It's that red door just up ahead."

With that, Dan pointed to the aforementioned red door, shown to be in a just in front of the flower field at the center of the backyard garden. Upon seeing it, Bryce spoke up confusedly to Ms. Tabitha as he was expecting a secret pathway.

"That's it?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing. It's just that I was expecting it to be a little harder than that, I guess. But this works, too."

As Bryce looked back to the door, he couldn't help but feel that something dangerous was bound to be beyond that door as he took notice of a strange symbol on the door that appeared to be the doorknob resembling an "S". As he thought about what could be behind the door, he began to think there might be a reason that Ms. Tabitha wouldn't show this door to the other children, though she didn't say. To be reassured, Bryce spoke up to her again about it.

"So, what exactly is beyond that door?"

As he asked her this, Ms. Tabitha walked over to it as Bryce followed her with Penny in tow before she spoke.

"The way out."

When they got to the door, Ms. Tabitha was about to reach for the door before she stopped herself. Happy as she was that Penny would have a family, she needed to be sure that he was truly ready for whatever comes his way. There's always a reason why the hardest part was to watch them leave. For her, it was the knowledge that she's sending them towards danger. So, Ms. Tabitha felt the need to speak to Bryce about it as she spoke.

"Before you two go, I need to tell you something important. When you go out this door, things won't always be the way you think they are. And because of that, it makes things more dangerous. So, I really feel like I have to ask you: are you sure you're ready?"

Hearing her advice and considering what he first thought when he got here, as well as what she told him last night, Bryce wasn't quite sure about what perils he would face. For one thing, he had a child with him. And second, he's never had to go through any of that danger before. Regardless, he knew his mom and dad needed him. And he wasn't going to let them down, not after everything he'd gone through to help them. So, he gave a determined look her way as he spoke.

"I'm sure."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Ms. Tabitha knew for herself his mind can't be changed, and only gave a nod back as she replied.

"Okay. I understand. Just be careful out there."

"Don't worry. I will."

With that, Ms. Tabitha reached for the doorknob and turned it around until it clicked. Once it did, she pushed on the door, showing an unexpected sight that consisted of a metal bridge with handles as well as the same metallic brown cars he encountered in Chicago before, only larger. Another troubling sight was a seemingly bleak landscape of a desert under a dark sky with the sun on the horizon to his right. This sight wasn't something Bryce was prepared for as he looked out to the horizon with Penny looking to it with him as she turned her head to see it before they spoke intermittently.

"Whoa..."

**A/N: So, how was it so far? I can accept constructive criticism and nothing less so I can improve this story. And if any of you were disappointed that Bryce and Tulip didn't meet each other yet, don't worry, because it will definitely happy next chapter. Also, I forgot to mention that this story's rating may be subject to change according to the direction I take it. And as for the other OC's I made relevant to the story, including the ones in the prologue, Vic would be portrayed by Nolan North while Vincenzo is voiced by Eric Bauza. Along with them, Ms. Tabitha is portrayed by Colleen Clinkenbeard, Penny is portrayed by Lara Woodhull, Dr. West is portrayed by Daran Norris, and Dan is portrayed by Fred Tatasciore. There will be others along the way with multiple guests, but you can bet on this much: Greg Cipes will make an appearance in this story. So, you can look forward to that later on. Until then, this train will keep on going.**


	3. The Grid Car

**A/N: Hello. :) I'm thankful for all your reviews that you gave me so far, and I appreciate the positive feedback. But don't forget, you can suggest an additional car in this story in either a review or a P.M. and I'll take those ideas in consideration. Also, to reiterate, Bryce would be voiced by Jensen Ackles, though I guess I can see how Jeremy Shada voiced him, too. Maybe I'll have him portray a younger Bryce in the future. Other than that, I also realized that I forgot to credit his parents' voices. So, they will consist of Jennifer Paz for his mother and Josh Keaton for his father. Other than that, I can guarantee that this is the chapter you waited for. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

**Act I - ****Chapter II: **The Grid Car

As Bryce and Penny looked at the outside of the train, they were awestruck with how big the locomotive seemed to be as the former saw it last at the size of the usual train he took in Chicago. Another thing that caught their eye was the landscape. It appeared to be a desert, almost a wasteland that happened as a result of some nuclear explosion. Now, Penny never saw such things before, so she was easily nervous as she buried her head onto his jean jacket. Bryce, on the other hand, was far from it: he was overwhelmed.

"_That's_ the train? I remembered it being smaller than this."

Knowing how she tried to warn him about the dangers beyond the safety of her car, Ms. Tabitha tried to remind Bryce of what she spoke to him.

"I tried to warn you. Things won't always be the way you think they are. This train is no exception."

"Oh. Right."

"And one more thing: no matter what happens, even if it stops, you must never set foot off this train."

Hearing this warning, Bryce felt it was somewhat foreboding. And judging from her concerned tone, it wasn't a warning to take lightly. Although, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Everything around him and the train was a wasteland, so it's not like there was a way home anywhere out there. Still, he decided to acknowledge it as he spoke.

"I'll keep that in mind."

As Bryce looked ahead in front of him to see another red door with a bizarre doorknob with the thin, metallic bridge standing between it and him, the young man couldn't deign to guess what might be behind it. For all he knew, it could be tranquil and peaceful just like the car he woke up in. On the other hand, though, it might just as well be the complete opposite of that and turn out to be a danger zone of sorts. Perhaps it was the nature of the train; there's no way of knowing where he's going next and what will happen. While he got to thinking that, Bryce also began to think about Penny as she held tightly onto him. As long as she is with him, Penny would be in just as much danger as he is, which would make her likely to get hurt. But if he was going to keep his promise to be careful to Ms. Tabitha, Bryce felt it best to play the journey safe as he turned to Ms. Tabitha and spoke as he waved with his open arm as the other was holding Penny.

"Well... thanks for helping me. And goodbye."

As Bryce waved to her, Ms. Tabitha made a sad smile, knowing that she wouldn't be seeing Penny for a long time at least as she returned the wave back to him before he began to walk away. However, when he did, he realized that Penny still didn't get a proper goodbye with Ms. Tabitha. And so, he tried to get her to look up as Bryce spoke softly to her.

"Hey, Penny. We're gonna get going now. If you wanna say goodbye, I won't stop you."

Upon hearing those words, Penny looked up to him with a look that told him she wasn't ready to say goodbye. Not that he'd blame her, not when she's been in that car for all of her life. Still, he knew he made the right choice to make sure she got to say goodbye to her. Who knows if they'll ever see each other again? It was an answer that Penny especially didn't know as she spoke to him sadly.

"Really? I can say goodbye?"

"Sure. I'll just help you up."

With that, Bryce turned himself around as he began using his other arm to support Penny before walking to Ms. Tabitha, getting the impression from the way she reached her hands to her that she wanted to hug her. As he drew closer to Ms. Tabitha, Bryce's hunch was proven correct as Penny wrapped her hands around her caretaker as Ms. Tabitha did the same, not entirely willing to let her go after all the time they spent together. Further evidence of it ensued as Ms. Tabitha began to shed tears, though she tried with all her might to hold them back. Before now, she thought that when the time came for her to be adopted, she'd be ready, but here she is, wanting her to stay with her. The situation began to get more dismal from there as Penny spoke.

"I'll miss you, Ms. Tabby."

"I'll miss you, too, Penny."

As Bryce saw the tender moment between the two of them, not that he had any choice since he was supporting the younger of the two, he didn't want to leave Ms. Tabitha sad and alone, yet he remembered the promise he made to adopt Penny last night as well. Therein lies quite the dilemma: he knew he promised to adopt her, but he also hated to see anyone else sad. Seeing the two of them like this, he couldn't decide whether or not he should adopt her after all, promise or not. It was at that moment when he came up with a compromise to help keep her spirits high and keep his promise at the same time as he spoke up to the caretaker.

"Don't worry, Ms. Tabitha. I'll keep her safe."

With Bryce giving her the comfort, Ms. Tabitha looked up to the young man holding her beloved orphan. From what he told her, she'd hoped that he could be able to take care of her, and with those words, he confirmed her thoughts about him. And along with that, she actually felt that his words were true to her. And it made her more happy than she's ever been to know that someone she trusted, however recent he was to have earned it, would be able to keep her safe. In gratitude, she tried to speak up to him as she kept as much of her voice as strong as she could manage.

"I know. Thank you..."

Seeing her beginning to smile through her slightly tear-stained face, Bryce was relieved that she could be able to move on. After the work she did for her, Ms. Tabitha deserved that much. So, as he began to turn around towards the door, Bryce flipped Penny onto his shoulder and walked slowly on the bridge to keep from falling with Penny waving goodbye to Ms. Tabitha as she looked on before the door closed itself. From there, once he got to the door safely, Bryce was finally able to use his now free hands to turn the bizarre doorknob and open the door. The moment he did, Bryce ended up releasing a bright light through the door as it shone into his eyes, making him wince as they were forced to nearly close themselves to be shielded from its overpowering radiance. As for Penny, though, she became curious about the light that had recently billowed out and tried to look at it, only to be blinded as she turned her head the other way quickly before Bryce placed his arm on top of her back as he tried to regain his eyesight. And so, with that, the two of them tread carefully inside the door, unsure of what they'll face inside the unknown contents of the car...

* * *

Inside the car, Bryce and Penny began to feel the cold air chilling them. Of course, they were still overpowered by the earlier brightness of the door, so they couldn't tell where the chills came from, but Bryce was able to feel something... crunching under his feet. Penny would've felt that, too, if she wasn't being carried on his shoulder. In that moment, Bryce was slowly able to regain his eyesight before noticing the terrain around him, whose appearance revealed to him why the air was so cold. What he saw were oak trees that were covered in the snow that fell all around them in the form of snowflakes.

"Wait, hold on. Is that... really snow? It is, isn't it?"

As Bryce saw the entirety of the landscape, he couldn't help but feel... excited. It was a long time in his life since he'd seen any snow, so he began to bear a big smile. In spite of the potential dangers of the train, Bryce just couldn't find any other emotion to have but pure joy as the thought of his usual snow activities filled his mind. Instantly, he began to think of riding on a sled downhill, having snowball fights, and of course, making snowmen. He always enjoyed doing those things.

Back when he was little, Bryce would always be the first one outside after he got dressed and ate his breakfast on days like this. To a degree, he'd even try to urge his parents on outside to play with him as well. And the moment they do, they would always have fun together, like a family. However, that isn't to say that none of them would come back dripping wet from their activities afterwards. With those thoughts in mind, Bryce just couldn't wait to get started on reliving those snow activities all over again. Of course, this time, he gets to share them with a certain adopted little girl as he spoke up to her.

"Hey, Penny! It's snowing!"

As the little girl heard this, she'd just regained her own eyesight and looked at the scene of snowfall all around her. And believe it or not, Penny was just as thrilled of the snow as he was as she put on a look of wonder. Back when she was an orphan, Penny would always have Ms. Tabitha play outside with her, but it was usually for hide and seek, with the young girl always doing the hiding. On occasion, she would also play snowball fights and enjoy making snowmen, but she'd always decide against riding on a sled as the one time she did resulted in her being stuck in the snow with her legs sticking out like sore thumbs. This time, however, things will be different, because this time, Bryce will be with her in place of Ms. Tabitha. Despite it, though, Penny was eager to be playing in the snow as she spoke excitedly to Bryce while shaking her legs, kicking his back in the process, making Bryce grunt.

"Wow! It's really snowing!"

"Wow. Look who's excited. And I thought you're supposed to be shy."

To prevent the mishap from continuing, Bryce set Penny down on the snow gently before she looked up at him, hoping he could have some fun with her.

"Can we go play hide and seek?"

"Hide and seek? What for?"

"Ms. Tabby always played hide and seek with me when it snows."

Now, this was something Bryce didn't think about, but if it was, it'd be a hard pass for him. For one thing, he didn't see any point in playing a game he knew he can't win since the tracks would give him away. On a second note, Bryce would end up lost in the forest even if the tracks didn't. Seeing as he made a promise, he just couldn't take that risk. Although, taking the tracks in consideration, it'd be his way of playing it safe. And so, he decided to agree to it for now as he spoke.

"Alright. But after this, I'm picking the next game."

"Okay."

Now that the game was decided, all Bryce had to do was choose who would do the hiding and who would do the seeking, which turned out to be more tricky than he expected. If Penny was the seeker, she could easily get lost, an event that'd be more likely if she doesn't find his tracks. On the other hand, if she was hiding, her tracks would be so small that it could be covered by the snowfall in almost an instant. At this point, he began to wonder how Ms. Tabitha managed to keep track of her playing that game in the snow. Just as he pondered this, though, Bryce had an idea to remedy that and spoke to Penny.

"So, do you usually hide first, or...?"

As an answer, he received a smiling nod from her. Unfortunately, since he was presented the answer he didn't want, Bryce would end up playing this the hard way. However, just when it seemed he would lose her quickly, Bryce took notice of how deep Penny was in the snow, her ankles touching the snow as they were shielded by her little shoes before he incorporated this and spoke to her.

"Okay, I'll just... count to ten."

And so, Bryce covered his eyes and began to count as Penny started taking off from him, headed through several trees in the forest.

"One... two..."

As Bryce counted onwards, Penny scurried off, trying to find any hiding place she could go to. With all those trees surrounding them, it should be easy for her to hide. And with the time continuously running out, Penny felt she wouldn't need to worry as she took notice of one tree that could hide her well enough and went there as she stuck her back on it. Right at that time was when Bryce had just finished counting.

"Ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

From there, Bryce felt it was so simple to find her as long as the tracks aren't covered by snow so quickly. Fortunately, Bryce took notice of Penny's cute little footprints headed to countless trees. In all honesty, he wasn't sure about whether or not Penny was leaving the trail on purpose, but all the same, he was relieved that he could see them. With seemingly nothing dangerous going on around here, Bryce felt it was a good call to lighten up as he smiled before speaking out to Penny, wherever she was as he followed the trail.

"I'm gonna find you, Penny. Just you wait."

In her own youthful mind, Penny had doubts about that as she giggled about him having trouble finding her. Evidently, however, she did not realize her mistake as Bryce could hear her excited giggling before he looked over to where the laugh was coming from. Along with that, the trail seemed to end there, just at the tree Penny chose to hide in. That's where Bryce was convinced he had the advantage on her as he walked along the trail before speaking to himself in an attempt to mislead her.

"Well, it looks like I can't find her. Might as well look somewhere else."

With Bryce feigning defeat, Penny became more and more convinced that she was safe as she giggled, trying as hard as she could to hold it in, not that it worked. And with that, Bryce prepared to deliver a surprising ambush on her as he held his arms out, ready to grab her as he spoke.

"Or maybe... I can look for her right... here!"

As Bryce moved forward, however, he was surprised to see that Penny wasn't where he thought she was, his hands grabbing nothing but thin air. It was at that brief moment he began to assume the worst and tried looking around the tree, hoping he could find her in some direction. However, little did he comprehend that the little girl was just walking behind him as he went around looking for her.

"Penny? Penny?!"

Once his circle around the tree was over, Bryce stopped where he stood, trying to think of where she could've gone. The instant he did, Penny stopped along with him, making some small steps that caught his attention with the crunch of snow beneath her. To be sure that he wasn't going crazy with panic, Bryce turned behind him and saw Penny standing in front of him as she spoke.

"Surprise!"

Once he saw her in front of him, Bryce couldn't help but feel relieved that she didn't get lost. Although, at the same time, he realized how silly he'd been since she it was for only about ten seconds that she went missing. To make up for his personal embarrassment, Bryce grabbed Penny by her sides and lifted her up into the air as he shouted.

"Gotcha!"

With the little girl in his grasp, Bryce twirled her around in the air before he sat her down on the ground as he gave her a ruffle on her hair with his hand, the little girl still giggling from when she twirled in the air as he spoke.

"Thought you could get away, didn't you, you little sneak?"

While Bryce ruffled her hair, he couldn't help but notice a green light shining onto her hair. When he realized where that light came from, which was the number on his hand he saw earlier, that's when Bryce remembered that he couldn't stay here long even if he wanted to, especially not when his mom and dad needed him, or at least he felt he did. As he took his hand off of her head and looked at the number, though, Bryce became confused about a certain development. Since he'd boarded the train, he recalled that the number was "135." But now, the number he is seeing right now was entirely different as it now said "116".

"What the...? How did it change?"

To try to find an answer, Bryce tried to think of what he knew about it. First off, he knew that it can't be wiped away, so that was impossible to change the number. Second, he knew that people who have the number don't always turn out to be good people. Not that it was of any help in this scenario, but it still serves as a vital note in future. With the information in mind, Bryce couldn't decipher what it all meant. So, he just wrote it off as something unexplained at the moment.

"Weird..."

All the same, Penny had her own curiosity develop concerning his number. In all her life, she had never seen anything like this, nor did she even think of it. So, her attention was easily grabbed by the green neon light on his hand as she spoke to her guardian.

"Hey, mister? Why do you have a number on your hand?"

Truth be told, Bryce was getting nowhere on that information to begin with. Then again, he can't blame her for asking. She is just a little girl, after all. Keeping this in mind, Bryce took a deep breath, trying to make sense of the change in numbers as he spoke.

"I don't know, Penny. That's what I've been trying to figure out."

As he remembered what Penny just called him, Bryce realized that he didn't get acquainted officially with Penny. For her to not know his name up to this point was a bit embarrassing for him. So, to correct that oversight, he added a statement to his answer.

"Oh. And you can call me, Bryce."

"Okay, Bryce."

Just then, as he fixed the problem with his name being unknown to Penny, Bryce heard a female voice far away. It was faint, but he could almost make out the words, like one could make out a static voice from a radio.

"Tulip, we missed you at Game Design Camp..."

"Huh?"

As Bryce felt confused by this voice, Penny saw this confusion written on his face. Because she didn't know what it was about, it made her liable to worry over him as she tried to speak to him. When she did, however, he tried to keep her quiet to hear out the rest of the dialogue and find the source of the mystery voice as he spoke next with a harsh shush.

"Bryce, are you okay?"

"Shh. I thought I heard something."

As the silence returned between the two of them for the moment, Bryce began to make out the rest of the words as they seemed to be getting louder. Knowing how voice volumes work, Bryce could guess that whoever that voice belonged to was getting closer to them. But alas, he couldn't tell which direction it came from. To find out, he looked in accordance with the direction the voice came from as the source of the voice apparently vented its frustrations.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't quite make it because I decided to fall asleep in the field and dream about outdated modes of transportation!"

As the source of the voice groaned in anger from her situation, Bryce noticed a teenage girl wearing glasses, dressed in a green jacket with a white shirt under it along with black gloves, an orange and black snow cap over her orange ponytail, a grey skirt, black leggings, and grey boots walking in the snow. As he saw this, Bryce was astonished that someone else would be in this car. This made him wonder to himself: did she have the number too? In the meantime, Penny had a different question in mind. And she tried to find out as she peeked her head out from the tree where she and Bryce stopped at to see her.

"Who's that?"

As the girl stomped and kicked across the snow in frustration, Bryce tried to figure that out himself. The way she sounded, she seemed convinced she didn't quite leave home. That meant one of two things to him. Either she belonged in this car of snow or she might be a passenger from his world. As he looked at the gloves on her hands, Bryce knew it'd be difficult to say. For now, he could only tell her what he knew from her current behavior.

"I don't know. But it looks like she's had a hard day."

When Penny looked back at the girl, she saw a different story to that. In her experience, people are usually sad when they had rough days. At least, it was always the case with Ms. Tabitha. But with this new stranger, her stomping and kicking the snow gave off an impression that only bullies gave. And Penny didn't like it one bit as she spoke cautiously.

"She looks so mean..."

With Penny becoming more and more nervous, Bryce tried to find a way to keep her happy. At the moment, it seemed impossible since the girl did not seem to be the type to reason with. And then there was the warning Ms. Tabitha told him about the other passengers on the train. It's hard enough to know without seeing the number on her hand with the gloves in the way, but the way she's acting made it all the more unpredictable. At this point, he knew Penny was right to be cautious. Yet, he still needed to confirm whether or not she's friend or foe. So, he just picked Penny up and placed her on his back, her hands around his neck and his arms holding her legs before he spoke.

"It'll be okay. I'm here, remember?"

As Penny nodded to him, knowing how he's proved it by staying long enough for her to get to him at the last car, Bryce focused on the girl in front of him and walked cautiously toward her. However, the closer they got to the girl, the more nervous Penny became, which really wasn't making it easier for Bryce as her hunkering down ended up making her arms go tight on his neck, almost gagging him before he forced her up a bit with his arms to breathe again before he passed out. The moment he did that, Bryce earned a short exclamation from Penny, which ended up too loud for the girl not to hear as she stopped her stomping and turned around behind her to see the two of them. This couldn't have been the most embarrassing way to interact with the girl as Bryce tried to act casual with her, which was already difficult enough without Penny trying to hide at the expense of his breathing.

"Uh, hi. You doing okay?"

Personally, the girl felt that she didn't have the time to stay and chat as far as she was concerned. At the moment, they seemed to be her obstacle. Though, judging from the way he's trying to speak with Penny inadvertently strangling him, he must not have meant to be. But that also meant he could be trying to hit on her like boys always do. So, like it or not, she decided that he was an obstacle and tried to brush him off as quickly as possible to move on.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

With the girl storming off in a huff, Bryce realized that having her ride on his back wasn't the wisest decision. He knew very well that Penny was frightened of her, so he admittedly should've counted on her trying to hide. That was fine by him, but not if it came at the expense of his neck. To get his breathing back, Bryce was forced to get Penny off his back and set her down on the floor before he spoke to her.

"Penny, I know how you feel about her right now, but you shouldn't strangle me just to hide from her, okay? It's not nice."

"I can't help it. She's so mean..."

Unfortunately, the girl heard that, much to Penny's fears as she turned around with a vastly frustrated look, much more so than when he first saw her as she spoke.

"What was that?"

One glare from the girl was all it took for Penny to run behind Bryce and hide behind his legs. Though Bryce couldn't deign to know what exactly happened for Penny to be like this, he assumed it must be because of her shyness. Then again, Bryce must admit that he felt a bit intimidated by her. Regardless, he still tried to reason with her to help Penny feel comfortable with her. For him, it's better to make a friend than an enemy, though he's still cautious about it, especially with what happened to him at the failed bank heist with Vic and Vincenzo. With that mindset, he proceeded to reason to her.

"Sorry about that. She's just trying to get used to meeting new people."

As the girl took notice of Penny hiding just behind his legs, she realized how she acted to the little child and became embarrassed. After all, she didn't know any better. However, she didn't know if the same could be said for Bryce as she looked at him. For all she knew, he could still be trying to hit on her. It might just be a matter of time before he does. Although, with a cute little girl around him, that could mean anything. So, she tried to learn more about him as she spoke.

"Okay, I'll bite. What are you guys doing out here anyway?"

"Well... it's complicated. What about you? What are you doing out here alone?"

"It's complicated."

As Bryce and the girl continued their conversation, each of them trying to determine who the other really was, Penny couldn't help but notice the snowmen just next to them. One of them had a brown fedora on its head with the second having a scarf. But the third one was what caught her eye especially as it seemed to have a smaller head, of it could be counted as such. As Penny got closer to it, she noticed that the head actually turned out to be a small sphere with a black stripe down the middle of it and two small white dots within said stripe. When she noticed this, Bryce and the girl's conversation ended up getting nowhere, which shouldn't be as much of a surprise since they gave away so little about their lives as he was speaking to her.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"What reason could be complicated for you to be all by yourself?"

"Like you have any room to talk. You're the one out here with a little kid."

Before Bryce could counter, Penny interrupted what would no doubt be a statement that could've continued the futility of the conversation as she spoke up.

"Look! There's a weird little ball on that snowman!"

As Bryce and the girl looked to Penny, they also took notice of what she was talking about. Whatever that sphere was, it seemed to make Penny excited about it as she tried to reach it, which was a nice change of pace from her earlier panic from the girl's frustration. So, he decided that he'd help Penny reach for it as he picked her up and let her grab it as she smiled at it. All the same, Bryce had no idea what the deal with it was, so he kept his wits about him as he spoke.

"Just be careful with it, Penny. We don't know where it's been."

Just at that moment, the sphere began sprouting four silver, spider-like legs underneath it before it spoke in an optimistic tone as two of its legs were used as hands to show a gesture that was commonly used to indicate the entirety of something.

"Actually, I've been everywhere!"

Surprised by the fact that the sphere could talk, Bryce, Penny, and the girl all exclaimed simultaneously before the sphere joined in with his own exclamation as the youngest of the trio dropped the sphere into the snowbank. Following this, it began to speak in a dismal tone that was of great contrast, like it was another person entirely.

"Figures. You meet someone new, and they drop you so fast."

Upon hearing this, Bryce and Penny knelt down to it as the latter cautiously kept her distance as she was taken completely off guard by its ability to speak while the sphere changed its tone back to its original optimistic tone before the former of the two picked it up.

"What the heck are you?"

"That depends. Are you my mum?"

"W-What?"

"Are you my mum?"

As the sphere repeated its question, Bryce became utterly dumbfounded with what it asked him. From the way it looked, it might as well be a robot. So for it to ask if it was his "mum", it was a strange concept. And it was one he was incredibly uncomfortable with as he spoke.

"Definitely not. Why don't you ask her?"

As Bryce pointed to the girl behind him, the sphere felt inclined to do so as he turned to her and spoke.

"Okay. Are _you _my mum?"

Unfortunately, the answer was just as resounding from her as the girl replied before the sphere spoke in its dismal tone again.

"No!"

"So you've come to bring me the sweet release of death?"

"Also no? Are you a toy? You have really good speech recognition."

As the girl took her turn to look at it, Penny became more used to it as the surprise wore off and became curious enough for her shyness to diminish, at least for the time being. With the little sphere occupied, Penny took her chance to ask it a question as she spoke.

"So, how come were you on a snowman?"

"I'm looking for my mother."

As Bryce heard that part of the question, he began to think about what it meant by that. Robots aren't usually born, they're created. From that logic, someone or something must've created the little sphere to begin with. To understand more of that, he tried asking about the appearance, earning a reply from both his optimistic and dismal tones.

"You mean like your creator or something?"

"Maybe. I don't know what she looks like, though. She might be large."

"Or small, like a nurturing bagel. Are you looking for your bagel mother, too?"

While Penny found the question to be a bit silly as she made a small laugh, the girl replied back to it, having felt like enough of her time was wasted already.

"No, definitely not. I'm not my dad either... weird toy."

As the girl set him back down on the snowbank, Penny instantly got closer to it as Bryce tried to find out more about her. Since he started the conversation, he didn't feel it was right to leave it unfinished as he walked next to her. While that went down, the sphere began walking with them as Penny watched it walk before its legs shrunk back into itself, turning it into a ball, easily impressing Penny while Bryce and the girl spoke to each other with her becoming more annoyed at how intrusive it seemed to be.

"So, why are you out here? Are you looking for anything?"

"I'm not _looking _for anything. I'm _going _to OshKosh."

Hearing her answer, Bryce was utterly befuddled. From what he remembered, OshKosh was actually a shoe store. At least, it was where he lived in Chicago. This made him come up with what he felt to be reasonable options as to what it was about, one of which was a job opening. To verify it, Bryce tried to speak up to her about it.

"So, what? You got a job opening there?"

"No. It's where Game Design Camp is."

When the girl told this to Bryce, he became more and more confused. Although, he did recall her saying something about that when he first saw her. But what could OshKosh and Game Design Camp have to do with each other? That was one answer he didn't have for it as he tried to find out, only to get the girl confused.

"There's Game Design Camp at a shoe store?"

"What? No. OshKosh _is_ the Game Design Camp."

This time, it was the sphere's turn to ask questions as it spoke up in a dismal tone before Bryce could find out how OshKosh would turn out to be as the girl said.

"So you're going alone?"

As the sphere spoke the question to her, the girl only kept walking the pace as she replied, only wanting to get there as soon as she can without them pestering her and earning a reply from the sphere's joyful tone.

"Yes."

"Without your parents?"

That proved to be a mistake of sorts as it quickly got on the girl's bad side as she snapped at it, causing the sphere to be put in a crisis as it replied in its other tone.

"I don't need them to get there! Now go back to being a snowman or a whatever you are!"

"Oh, my gosh. What am I?"

As the girl grunted in frustration from this, her agitation got even worse before she turned to Bryce and glared at him, causing Penny to be a little nervous again as she backed up to where she was behind his legs.

"And you! Stop asking me so many personal questions! It's none of your business!"

With the agitated teenager shouting at him again, Bryce felt that this routine had gone on long enough as he noticed how scared she was making Penny. It may not have been intentional, but it was quickly getting to the last straw for him. With his own frustrations boiling up, Bryce began to think it may not have been wise to try to talk to her after all as she proved to be more of a grouch than he ever thought. However, at the same time, a part of him still tried to keep his cool as he took a deep breath before he spoke, noticing the same type of door that brought them in before he pointed it out to her.

"Okay, you know what? Fine. Just don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"What door?"

With the girl getting easily angered, Bryce made it easy for her by pointing behind her to see the giant snowman with the red door at the bottom of it before she became surprised.

"Huh."

As she walked over to the door, the girl became indifferent to the giant snowman. Where she lived, there was always a group of kids who'd always try to outdo the others in everything. To her, it wasn't exactly a surprise, which was more than Penny could say as she never imagined a snowman would be that tall, making her speak in awe towards such a work as Bryce picked her up with the sphere in tow and placed her legs on his shoulders, his hands holding onto her legs.

"Wow... how did the snowman get so tall?"

"Tch. North St. Paul kids probably built this."

While the girl maintained her indifference, Bryce knew very well that the door would say otherwise. Whoever those "North St. Paul kids" were, he knew their craftsmanship wouldn't be at this level.

"With a door like that? I don't think so."

To add to Bryce's opinion, the sphere piped up about its personal experience with it in its two tones.

"That door is impossible to open."

"The only way out is through hypothermia."

Disregarding the sad tone's option, the girl just made a raspberry, doubting that it would be the case while Bryce spoke up on his own experience. After all, he did open it once, and it led to this car.

"I wouldn't be so sure. How else do you think the two of us got in?"

As the girl heard this, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. The way he was talking, he acted as if a door took him to this place. But that couldn't be possible in any reasonable sense. Then again, the fact that a red door was on a giant snowman wasn't possible that way either. So, she was inclined to respond to it as she inquired of him.

"What do you mean 'got in'?"

Sure enough, the girl found her answer as she grabbed the bottom part of the doorknob and twisted it to a clockwise direction, hearing a click in the door that told her it was unlocked. From there, she opened the door, only to see a sight that wasn't quite what she expected: a giant train with a metallic brown color scheme which held a thin, metal bridge between her car and the other. Seeing all of the sights in front of her, the girl began to speak as if she knew what it was.

"This... _is _the train? I'm on a big train, like a, like a really weird, big train?!"

As Bryce heard the girl speak in apparent curiosity, he knew that his mystery concerning her was solved. For one thing, it meant that she must be a passenger. But from the way that she sounded upon seeing what he and Penny saw, it must be the first time she'd ever seen the train on a grand scale. To verify his theory and make sure it was true, he tried to find out for himself as he spoke while the sphere was impressed that his theory on the door being impossible to open was proven wrong.

"Wait, you mean you didn't know?"

"You can reach doorknobs?"

However, the girl didn't seem to hear out those questions as countless more of her own started to fill her mind. Due to her excitability on what she just saw, the girl began asking questions to the sphere and Bryce as fast as her mind could think.

"How does this door work? A-Are you like a real robot? Are there other people on here? Is this what trains are like?"

With all the questions thrown at him, Bryce was thrown into a loop. It was far too many for him to answer all at once, let alone keep track. Not that he'd blame her. He had questions of his own, too. Regardless, while Bryce tried to answer, the joyful side of the sphere answered for him.

"Uh..."

"Yes."

"Yes to what? Which?"

"I dunno."

As the sphere replied as such, the girl began to have one more question that was easier to focus on, seeing as all of what she saw was in that one car alone. At this point, she couldn't help but think of how excited she'd be when she sees what's inside it.

"Wait. What's in the next train car?"

As the girl walked over to that door to find out, the sad side of the sphere spoke up while Bryce had his reservations on it, given the warning Ms. Tabitha spoke of about the train.

"It'll probably be disappointing."

Personally, Bryce felt that disappointing would be safest. Ms. Tabitha told him that nothing on it would be like he thinks, so that could mean anything. And that's what made him worried about the train. The only other thing that worried him was how ignorant the girl seemed to be. So, rather than throw caution to the wind, Bryce chose to stay alert about it as he spoke to himself.

"Or dangerous..."

* * *

As luck would have it, when the girl opened the door expecting a grand car with countless contents on hand, she ended up confronted with a blank grid all around her, the other door shown to be all the way on the other side with nothing interesting between it as she spoke prematurely.

"Wow! Oh."

Once she realized how boring the car appeared to be, the girl felt more underwhelmed than when she opened the door, which came as a relief to Bryce. For his count, it was the second car he got into that wasn't so lethal. All the while, the sphere knew it was right as the girl spoke up.

"Hmm. Well..."

"Called it."

"I wonder what this room is for..."

As the girl grew curious about the contents of this car, she didn't realize that when she stepped inside, it landed on one of the countless squares. Normally, it would've been indifferent, but the moment she stepped on it, the floor made a tone that was usually on a keyboard as it glowed orange before it went up, astounding Bryce, Penny, and the girl as they spoke.

"What just happened?"

"It went up!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Back to being impressed!"

Admittedly, Bryce can agree with her on that. It did seem empty, other than the idea of more blocks used to create anything from where he stood or touched. It's almost like a perfect playpen. And the idea seemed to carry on even without mention as Penny piped up with her excitement and curiosity overpowering her usual shyness.

"Can I go play, please?"

Seeing how happy she was, Bryce couldn't quite tell what was going on with her. First, Ms. Tabitha told her she was shy, but here she is acting all happy. And it wasn't the first time, either; it happened in the snow car, too. Maybe it was the pressure of being eligible for adoption that made her shy before, but now that she's with him, she can finally be happy, at least that's what he can assume. And Bryce wanted to make sure she stayed that way as he smiled before he spoke.

"Alright. Knock yourself out."

With that, Penny was then picked up by her armpits and set down on the ground where she ran inside the car, leaving multicolored trails of cubes rising up behind her. As Penny enjoyed herself, the girl went over to the wall of the grid and tapped on a cube five times, making a line of orange cubes while Bryce tried to think of what to do with the cubes. Fortunately, once he saw what the girl did on her end, he had an idea and tried to test it out as he began tapping on the ground, making the blue cube go up before tapping on it as it went up. On Penny's end, she let the sphere go free before it hopped on the floor, making a cube go up before going back, lifted up by the cube that rose on him, making go to another piece of the grid that helped him up before landing on another piece that urged him to jump off as Penny smiled. Later on, the girl ended up creating a massive tower that resembled the Eiffel Tower, though the spire appeared crooked as it went entirely to the right before she jumped down and got one single cube out. At the same time, Bryce had just finished making his ideal creation from the cubes: a sword that pirates and buccaneers traditionally used in the high seas as he slashed it on the air and spoke like the former of the sailors of the ocean.

"Argh! Off the plank with ye, matey!"

Impressed with the shape of his cube sword, Bryce tried to show it to the girl for her to see, only to see her create something familiar, like one of the characters from an arcade game just as Penny and the sphere went near her with the robot rolling on the floor, making a trail before it sprouted its legs and made a hop where it stood to make a pillar for it to speak with the girl as the sad side of it spoke before Bryce as he set his cube sword aside in his backpack.

"Are you building a coffin?"

"I can't say it is. But what is that?"

Seeing the curiosity on his face, the girl felt more obliged to answer than she did previously, at least in a more respectable manner. Maybe the knowledge of the train being real made her more open-minded. And it was a good thing for Bryce, because he wasn't sure if he could stand Penny being scared all the time, especially if it comes at the price of him being able to breathe. Nevertheless, the girl proceeded to answer as she set the alleged character beside what appeared to be a cubed lemon and pointed out what the lemon was before the character in accordance with the title.

"It's a character from my game. I call it, 'Good Guys Poppin' Bad Guys.' It's the best game I've ever made."

When the girl spoke this to Bryce, he became interested. On his occasional downtime from school, he would play video games any way he could. Whether it was an RPG, FPS, MMO, or even the classics, he'd always be excited to try them and see if they were good or bad. For him to hear that she could make games, it was a pleasant surprise in comparison to almost everything else he's seen all day.

"Really? How many have you made?"

"One."

As the girl answered this, the little sphere made an intrigued gasp with its happy voice. Bryce, on the other hand, began to be underwhelmed. Although, he could see how she only made one. Given how hard they usually are to make, it'd make sense for teenagers to want some time off, especially when they had school to go to. Maybe that's why she wanted to go to Game Design Camp. All the same, the sphere got its attention span grabbed as it spoke to the girl.

"You're joking."

"That's kind of a weird thing to joke about."

"That's my name! I'm One!"

"One."

As the robot spoke with both voices, the girl felt the name to be a bit odd. Granted, it was a robot, but it was bizarre to her all the same as she replied to it.

"And that's kind of a weird name to have, unlike my name, which is Tulip and is perfectly normal."

As she inadvertently introduced herself, Bryce became surprised. As far as names, he didn't expect her to be named after a flower. When he saw her, he pictured her as someone named Jessica, Sarah, or even Maggie. But to hear that she's named Tulip made him a bit confused. To find the origin of the name, Bryce tried to talk to her about it.

"Wait. Your name's Tulip?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

As Tulip asked him casually like it was a normal conversation, which was thankfully a complete contrast to their earlier variant, Bryce replied back to her while giving his opinion on the choice.

"Nothing, really. It's just I never heard of someone being named 'Tulip' before."

"Well, I never heard of a robot being named One-One either, but hey. There's a first time for everything. What's your name?"

"Well, you can call me Bryce."

At that moment, when he tried to introduce his associate, he noticed Penny jumping on the cube trail One-One made to go higher as he spoke.

"And the little girl with me is Penny."

"Do you two know each other?"

"We should. She's my sister. Although, it's more or less an adopted relationship."

"Oh. That's nice."

Just then, as Penny got high enough to where she could touch the ceiling, Tulip looked up at her before Bryce did the same thing. Upon looking at the ceiling, Bryce couldn't help but see how far away he is from Penny at the ground level. At that vantage point, he felt like a little child reaching for the stars at night. As this sensation came over him, he began to wonder if Tulip felt the same way. In order to find out, he spoke to her as Bryce got his head down enough to see straight.

"You want to try getting up there, don't you?"

"Oh, you _know_ I'm getting up there."

And so, Tulip made an attempt to achieve the objective. But rather than to get up there with the tower she made or with the grid car's cubes, she got one of her gloves off her hands and tossed it at the ceiling, hitting a cube before a blue one went down near Penny, making her excited as she giggled. At the same time, the glove that Tulip tossed landed on One-One before she laughed boldly and reached down to pick it up. When she did, however, that's when she saw something she never expected to see: a green number on her own hand that said "115". And she wasn't the only one as Bryce took notice of that. Unlike Bryce who had some semblance of knowledge concerning the number, though, she had no clue what it meant, and it made her extremely worried as she spoke.

"Aah! W-What's this?!"

"You mean you don't know that, either?"

Before either of their questions could be answered, the car suddenly jolted before One-One fell off of the pillar he made and Penny started falling off from hers. Fortunately for her, Bryce took notice of that and was able to get to her with his arms out, although not in the way he expected to get her. Instead of catching her in his arms, she ended up landing on his back, making him groan from the pain of it as he spoke.

"Ow..."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I can take it..."

Hoping to know what exactly was going on around her, Tulip looked to Bryce and spoke to him as she helped him up to his feet while Penny got off of him before he felt the bruise on his back that cane as a result.

"Bryce, do you know what just happened?"

"No clue. But whatever happened, there's only one way to find out."

* * *

With that, the group of four got out through the red door and looked to the side, getting a longer view of the wastelands they were greeted with. For whatever reason, it appeared more depressing than the first time they saw it, as far as Bryce was concerned. Tulip, on the other hand, was petrified. She was convinced that the train was still in the general area of her home, but to see this wasteland was a nightmare she hoped was just that as she spoke to the group.

"Guys, do you know what Wisconsin looks like?"

As an answer, Bryce, who held the little girl's hand to keep her from falling, only shook his head while Penny became curious about what Wisconsin was as One-One tried to guess what it appeared to be with his glad side speaking up.

"Nope."

"What's Wisconsin?"

"Alright, hold on. Let me think. I wanna say it looks like... this?"

To answer One-One's question, Tulip has to face the harsh reality staring in front of her and replied to him.

"No. This is not Wisconsin."

With the train in a standstill, Tulip, Penny and Bryce looked up at the sky and saw a brown swirl in the center of the otherwise black sky before a yellow, glowing tentacle emerged and snaked towards the train as they looked on in horror with Tulip speaking up.

"Okay..."

Worried about what it was for, the trio looked through the side to see the tentacle force its way into one of the cars in front of theirs. From there, they could barely see what was going on, which, in Penny's case, was blinding enough for her. But when they did, it shook them to their cores as they saw an unknown pedestrian inside the tentacle before it shriveled into dust, making the group gasp in horror as Bryce grew thankful that Penny didn't see it happen as she spoke up.

"What? What's going on?"

As an answer, the tentacle went back up in the cloud formation, taking the dust along with it before it went away and shot a strong beam of light to the ground, causing it to split the ground around it while sending a gust of wind right at them and blowing them back a few inches before Tulip spoke up in panic before Bryce.

"Ahh! What happened to that guy?!"

"Did he just disintegrate?!"

As an answer to their questions, One-One looked at the two of them as if it feared for their lives and spoke with a sad voice.

"You're in kind of a bad place right now."

"You think?!"

As Bryce retorted this to One-One, Tulip was beginning to get frightened out of her mind. When she boarded this train for OshKosh, this was not the experience she had in mind. The fact that the cars were actually different worlds seemed promising enough, but what proved to be the ultimate dealbreaker was what went on outside those worlds. And seeing what just happened to that pedestrian inside that tentacle was more than her mind could take. In that instant, she let fear do the work for her as she backed away before running a full sprint.

"Oh, no... I... I don't wanna be on this train anymore!"

As Tulip ran from the sight she just saw, Bryce tried to go after her with Penny and One-One following him. He, of all people, knew how scared she was of what just occurred. He was just as frightened as she was of it, in fact. But Ms. Tabitha warned him about this sort of thing before. If there was anytime to heed her warning, it'd be now. However, Tulip didn't know about that as she scurried down the stairs while One-One then hopped onto her backpack as Bryce spoke first before the robot.

"Tulip! Wait!"

"Wait! Are you my mum? I forgot what you said last time."

"You can't get off this train, Tulip! There's no way out there that could get you home!"

"I don't care!"

With fear having overtaken her mind, Tulip was already beyond reason as she scurried off the stairs and fell to the floor before running into the wasteland as she screamed at the top of her lungs. With how vast the bleak scenery turned out to be, it only amounted to a quiet volume as Bryce facepalmed himself.

"And she's lost it."

As Tulip ran, all Bryce could do was watch as she only got as far as that withered tree before she got stuck in the mud surrounding it. While it happened, Penny looked over to Bryce, who kept his vigil on her and then back at her. The more she saw Tulip in panic, the more she became worried for her. She began to wonder if Bryce was the same way at all and looked back to him as she spoke.

"Bryce, aren't you gonna help her?"

"There's nothing I can do at this point. The best I can hope for is if she doesn't get herself—"

Before he could finish, Bryce took notice of a strange bulge on the mud before three whips burst out from it, confusing him before one of them latched onto the tree before it pulled. The creature that came out made him intensely worried as it resembled a cockroach with dog legs and the underside of it represented sea anemones commonly found in the ocean. Upon seeing this, Bryce became fearful for Tulip's life as he spoke.

"That's it. I'm going down there!"

Before he could, however, the train started to move again, much to his concern. The rate it's going, it might as well take off without her. As Bryce tried to steady himself from the jolt that resulted, he took notice of Tulip freeing herself from the mud and running back to the train as three of the creatures he saw gave chase towards her. To add to the suspense, Tulip ran until she got up on the wheel and rode on it like a lift before she leaped onto the stairs and climbed up, only for the creatures below her to sprout wings and fly up, adding to his worry as he shouted to her.

"Hurry, Tulip! They're gaining on you!"

As the creatures flew up into the air, one of them darted towards Tulip before it swiftly hit her, causing her to nearly get brushed off of the train, but she was able to hold onto the stairs before climbing up and going up on the edge before she, One-One, Bryce, and Penny took off from the scene as he held Penny on his back as he shouted.

"Let's make like bananas and split!"

"Good idea!"

With that, the group ran right back into the grid car before one of the creatures that followed Tulip ended up just near the door before its body blocked the door from being closed with one of its whips going near Tulip's face, making her extremely worried before it burst through the door as Bryce, Penny, and Tulip landed on the floor with One-One landing in Tulip's grid that was made from the fall. While the creature slid on the grid as a result, it left a red trail behind it before it used its wings to fly towards the group before Tulip desperately tried to create a wall between herself and the creature as it charged at her. By the time it got to her, it ended up hitting the wall before Bryce recovered from the fall and picked Penny back up, carrying her with his shoulder as he ran with Tulip and One-One before the beast got its second wind and flew after the group. Just as it started to give chase, it ended just as quickly as the beast knocked Tulip and Bryce to the ground, creating another bed of cubes beneath them as the creature stood over Tulip and brushed its whip against her. Afterwards, that's when the worst the creature had to offer revealed itself as a small hole opened up from its underbelly near its head, beginning to sap the life force from her, made evident by the blue light leaving her body as she groaned while her skin began to appear to lose its youth, much to Bryce's horror as he noticed the conundrum.

"TULIP!"

As luck would have it, One-One knew what to do in the situation as his glad voice spoke up.

"I can help, Ms. Tulip."

In that instant, One-One seemed to have split apart before the half that got launched pushed the creature away and knocked it back before Tulip got her youth back as the blue light returned to her before she made a harsh scream and looked at the half of One-One that stayed with her as she spoke to it.

"You can do that?"

As an answer, the half that assaulted the creature screamed as he ran back to Tulip before reattaching itself, forcing her to run away from it as Bryce saw her in danger and became worried, and not just for her life. He was also worried about what could happen if it got anywhere near Penny as he looked to see her holding tight onto his chest, afraid of being taken away. She could end up like Tulip almost would've been: a shriveled corpse with no life left. Knowing how dangerous it is, Bryce was not willing to take that chance. So, he recalled the sword he made in the car and got it out of his backpack as the force of the creature pushing him caused it to open up some. Thankfully, none of the cash that was inside was lost as he removed the sword from the backpack. Hoping to provide her sanctuary, Bryce held his sword close to him while he held Penny with his open arm.

"Hold on, Penny."

As she complied with a firm grip, Bryce began to run like the wind as he took notice of One-One building a wall before he went just over it as it was small to begin with while he set the little girl inside it as he spoke to her.

"Stay there, Penny. One-One will keep you safe."

As Penny nodded, One-One spoke gladly to Bryce, hoping for his opinion on the wall

"Hi, Mr. Bryce. Like the wall?"

"You bet I do. Whatever you're doing, don't stop. Oh, and maybe leave a hole about 16 cubes wide for us?"

"Aye-aye!"

With that, Bryce leaped off of the small wall before the robot proceeded to work on it. In the meantime, Tulip was distracting the creature with the two small items she made in the car, grabbing the good guy first, hoping it'd make its mark.

"Alright, Good Guy. Pop that bad guy!"

As she chucked the lemon-like character at the creature, it smacked it spot-on, although it still proceeded with no more than a whine, making Tulip consider the second option as she spoke.

"Uh... Bad Guy's turn!"

As she chucked it, however, the creature managed to outmaneuver the bad guy character and continue its charge right at her before it jumped on her, making her fall prey to its life-sucking abilities, only for Bryce to force it off as he lunged at it sword-first, earning another whine from it while Tulip took notice of Bryce holding it at bay as it backed away from being poked by the sword as Bryce shouted.

"Yah! Yah! Get back!"

"Bryce? What are you doing?"

"Uh, saving your life?"

As he replied to Tulip, Bryce made the mistake of hesitating to stab at it, giving the creature the opening it needed as it used its whip to wrap around the sword and force it away before tossing it at the ground near Tulip as more grid cubes surrounding it popped up. With no weapon to use, Bryce began to change his answer to her as he spoke.

"Actually, scratch that. I'm _running_ for my life!"

With that, Bryce and Tulip began to take off from the creature as the latter poked up the sword that got forced away while checking with One-One on the progress of the wall.

"One-One, how's that wall?!"

As she asked, Penny was just peeking out through the hole Bryce suggested earlier as One-One responded to her gladly before its sad demeanor took over.

"Well, it's more of a house instead of a wall."

"Do you want me to start over? I'll just start over."

With the creature right on their tails, Bryce and Tulip knew they didn't want to end up as its soul food and looked to One-One before they shouted.

"Don't you dare!"

"No! Don't start over!"

As they ran as fast as they could, Penny took notice of this as she backed up just before Tulip proved to be the first to get in the hole followed by Bryce and then the creature. However, its large body prohibited it from entering in all the way with its paws sprouting claws and aiming to scratch its prey as they backed all the way to the door before Penny buried herself near Bryce to be protected from it as she whimpered before he held her tight to reassure her.

"It'll be okay, Penny. I'm here."

With Penny scared out of her mind from the creature, Bryce was reminded about how dangerous the train could be and what going off the train meant. Ms. Tabitha must've been trying to warn him about those creatures before he left. After what's happened, Bryce hoped for two things. One thing was that he hoped to never see another creature like that again, and another was that Tulip had learned her lesson. Fortunately, the latter of the wishes seemed to come true as she turned to Bryce.

"So, I guess _that's_ why you don't go off the train."

At that moment, One-One got down from the wall it made before its sad and glad voices spoke to them, urging Bryce to respond, knowing what it meant for the group if the creature figured it out.

"I forgot to make a roof."

"Is that weird for a house? No roof?"

"Never mind the house. We better get out of here before that thing get any ideas."

With that, Bryce opened the door and walked outside with Penny in tow as Tulip and One-One joined them. After the chase that they went through, a brief rest was needed to be able to think straight as Tulip tried to breathe as slow as she could, gradually making progress while Bryce began to speak ill of it. He could call it worse, but with Penny present, he felt that she shouldn't hear that kind of language before One-One gave his opinion to the group.

"That's it! I'm calling it. This train is literally heck."

"Not all of it is heck. This place has some stuff that's okay about it, and some stuff that could be better."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, One-One. Well, both of you."

After Bryce wiped the sweat off his forehead, he looked at the number on his hand and saw that the number still remained the same as it said "116". This made Bryce remember the number that Tulip has as he recalled that it said "115", just one below him. With that, he looked over to her, wondering if she knew about his own number, too, just as she started to conceive a way off the train as she spoke.

"There has to be a way off this train that won't kill us. Okay, everything has rules. E-Even crazy things have their own logic. This is a train, right?"

While Bryce heard this from Tulip, he began to think she might be onto something. She was right about that much, given what just occurred in the grid car. If that were true, then maybe this train would operate like a normal train would. This made him think about the trains he commonly used in Chicago, as well as how they're usually operated by a conductor. Keeping that info in mind, Bryce spoke up with her.

"That's right. However crazy it is, it's still a train. And if this is a train... then it must have a conductor."

"Exactly. One-One, is there a conductor? Please tell me you have an answer."

Tulip's question gave One-One some food for thought as he pondered about that possibility while speaking in his glad voice before the sad one.

"Conductor... hmm. I think we have one of those."

"But he would most likely be at the engine."

As One-One verified Tulip and Bryce's logic on trains, the two of them looked over the edge to see countless cars as far as the eye can see while Penny finally got over the ordeal with the cockroach creature and looked at the sight along with them before she felt herself calm down. The longer they looked at the long trail of cars, the more they felt it might be another example of futility to even try. But at the same time, they knew they can't go back now. For one thing, the creature was still trapped in that hole. And the other, being the most important, was that they had their own homes to get back to. No matter what, they wouldn't let anything stop them. As Tulip looked to her number, she then recalled when Bryce spoke to her about it before the train stopped. The way he sounded, it was almost as if he knew about it somehow. And so, she turned to Bryce before she spoke to him, hoping to know what he did know.

"Hey, Bryce? Earlier, you didn't look so surprised like I was about it. It's like, I don't know... maybe you knew about it?"

As Tulip asked Bryce this, he took a deep breath as he had a feeling it was going to happen sooner or later. It came as no surprise that she'd ask about it. He did act a bit too natural around it. Although, he couldn't figure out how she didn't notice his own number earlier. Regardless, he confirmed what Tulip believed as he replied.

"Something about it, yeah."

"Well, how do you know?"

"Because. You're not the only one who's been marked."

And so, Bryce showed his right hand to Tulip, exposing the number "116" to her face as she gasped. She didn't imagine that there would be other passengers like her on the train, so seeing him with a number like hers was a complete surprise to her. Was she not the first person on the train after all? With Tulip being confronted with the idea, she tried to speak to him about it.

"You've got a number, too?"

"Yeah. At first, it was some sort of tattoo, but now... I'm not so sure."

"How long have you been here?"

"Just a few hours ahead of you. Like that means anything."

With that, Tulip looked back to her own number. He may have only been a few hours ahead, but that could mean anything. On the other hand, though, if he didn't know a lot about his own number by now, it's not likely that she would either. But that mystery could wait for now. At the moment, the main priority was to get home, and it's become obvious from that attack that she can't do it alone, much to her personal displeasure. So, Tulip looked back to Bryce before holding her hand to him.

"I guess we're in this together, huh?"

As Bryce looked over to Tulip, he saw her hand waiting for his. She must've had no other choice if she were doing this. In his eyes, she seemed like the person who didn't want help from others, especially since she showed more of that impression in the snow car. Either way, it's safe to say that they'd be working together for quite some time before they get back home. For now, Bryce couldn't think of a better way to do it as he placed his numbered hand inside hers and shook it as he looked to her.

"Yeah. I guess we are."

Once the handshake was done, Bryce turned to the next red door in front of them as he looked to Penny on his shoulder, hoping that she's doing okay since the incident that took place not too long ago. Hopefully, the next car would be one where she could be able to forget about the terrifying attack and get the rest she needed. By all accounts, he could use one as well. And he knew that there's only one way to find out whether or not that it was time to rest: they had to move forward. And so, he decided to get on that as he went towards the door before Tulip took notice of the cubed sword that she left on the floor to take her breath before she picked it up and spoke up to him.

"Hey, wait."

"Yeah?"

"You can't leave your sword here. You might need it."

As he saw the sword in Tulip's hand, Bryce became surprised. He was sure that he misplaced it when he was fighting that creature, yet here it was in her hands. Bryce knew that there would only be one explanation. She must've picked it back up when they were running into the wall. With that, Bryce reclaimed his sword from Tulip, knowing that they'll need it again in the near future as he spoke to her.

"Oh. Yeah..."

"And, uh... thanks for saving my life back there."

"You're welcome."

As the two of them smiled to each other, Tulip looked back to the door just behind him, not able to imagine how much peril each car must hold inside. Given how active Bryce was in holding it back, it's safe to say that he knew, too. And further evidence of that showed itself as he looked to the door himself. With the both of them cautiously aware of the train's dangers, Bryce needed to be sure that Tulip was up for it as he spoke to her.

"You know, a lot of these cars might not be what we think they are. It could be dangerous."

Of course Tulip realized it. She knew it the moment that pedestrian was disintegrated. And several over events that happened since them only solidified it. But right now, none of that mattered a thing to her. To prove this, she clenched her hand before she spoke determinedly.

"I don't care. I'm getting off this train."


	4. The Beach Car

**A/N: Hello. :) I had an awesome day this Monday since I got to see "Steven Universe The Movie". For those of you that haven't, please do. It's simply amazing. Speaking of, I just had a crazy idea to add one of the characters from it into this story, though it won't appear until next chapter, so please be patient. Until then, here's chapter three of my story. I hope you like it.**

**Act I - ****Chapter III: **The Beach Car

As their journey progressed, Tulip, Bryce, Penny, and One-One have been on one car after another since the Grid car. But even then, they were still as far away from the engine as ever. Bryce knew the journey wouldn't be so easy, but he never thought it'd take so long. On the plus side, though, at least he was going somewhere with someone else. However, that didn't do anything to shorten his list of worries with Penny being on it.

He'd always wanted a little sister, but it's already proved to be more work than he thought. The creature that attacked them was just the icing on the cake, but the other general dangers of the train was another factor. Each door that opens here takes them either to a world that's safe and creative or one that's chaotic and dangerous. By now, the train, from its length to its unpredictability, was becoming more than he could take. He had to think of something to keep him from losing his mind. Then, he got to thinking about how much he really knew about Tulip.

They didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but he knew some things about her since then, her name being one of them. Another was that before she boarded the train, Tulip was planning to go to OshKosh. But he still wanted to get to know her more, to know for sure he could count on her. So, while they were in the Crossword Car, as Penny and One-One were on the ground, Bryce and Tulip were inside a giant machine that had jets on the sides of it while a mechanism underneath it had the letters to stamp them down in ink, making letters on the spaces to fill them up as Tulip spoke to herself.

"46 down. 7 letters..."

As Tulip tried to figure it out, Bryce tried to come up with how to ask her a question. However, he can't just pick one off the top of his head. He needed to be subtle. That's when he remembered the game he always played. It was shortened as "20 Q" in his family, but in truth, it was known as twenty questions. It was always a rage with his family since his parents felt that it encourages deductive thinking. With how long the train proved to be, Bryce couldn't imagine a better time to try it as he spoke.

"Hey, uh, Tulip? Do you wanna play a game?"

"Not now, Bryce. In case you didn't notice, we're actually busy."

Right at that moment, Tulip and Bryce took notice of One-One and Penny drawing on the otherwise blank squares. One of them seemed to be the robot's handiwork as one of those drawings said, "You can bet on One-One". As for Penny's drawings, she just drew pictures of herself, Bryce, and Tulip along with One-One. Bryce found it touching, and he would've okayed it if they didn't take up the whole squares as he and Tulip spoke.

"Penny!"

"One-One, Penny, how long have you guys been doing this?"

To answer, One-One spoke up to Tulip with his glad voice before his sad one while Penny finished up on her work and turned to them with a smile, chiming in after One-One.

"I've been helping since the start!"

"I think it's a pretty powerful message."

This made Tulip and Bryce make a slight groan as the machine lowered itself, the jets slowly turning off as two parking brakes lowered themselves to land on the crossword floor before they exited the machine. Of course, Bryce can't really blame Penny. She is just a little kid. But One-One should at least know better than to mess with the structure. The rate he's going, One-One might be as unpredictable as the train itself in spite of his two designated voices. With that, Bryce picked up Penny while Tulip gave One-One a talk as she set him on her lap.

"One-One, we got to take care of this. So you stay here, and no more writing, okay?"

"Aye-aye, captain!"

With that, One-One tried to give a salute, only to knock himself off as he exclaimed while Bryce spoke to Penny about her work.

"Well, Penny. You've really outdone yourself. How about you ride with me and Tulip this time, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

With Penny inside the machine alongside Tulip and Bryce, things finally got back on track enough for them and One-One to exit the Crossword Car as they finished up the puzzle. Next, they ran into the next car where it appeared to be a den of bearded onions with gnome hats. Since they appeared to be sleeping, Bryce and Tulip tried to sneak around them as the latter spoke quietly, maneuvering herself around the onions while Penny felt their appearances to be funny.

"O-kay. That's not weird."

"Their beards are so funny."

One-One, on the other hand, proved to be a flaw in their plan as his sad voice spoke normally, urging Tulip to try to shush him, only for his glad voice to seal their fate.

"They look so peaceful."

"Shh. 6-inch voice."

"DID YOU SAY 60-INCH VOICE?!"

As a result, the group ended up being chased by angry onions, which turned out to be wizards as their eyes shot open and showed cat-slit eyes towards them before firing yellow arrows at them as they spoke like they were chanting, much to Tulip's worry.

"Spells! Spells! Spells!"

"No angry wizards!"

* * *

Fortunately, they were able to escape that conundrum before they encountered another one. It was in the form of the Pinball Car. Being in a giant plastic ball was hard enough, but being in one with other people was the most difficult since they had to work together to maneuver themselves to the exit. And even then, One-One would inadvertently go off course and knock them the other direction, oftentimes at the worst moment. However, Tulip wasn't going to let it ruin her chance for escape as she, Penny, and Bryce pushed the ball simultaneously in the same direction while she spoke.

"The door should be inside of..."

When they gave a hard push, however, One-One dashed their hopes as he fell off of Tulip's shoulder before his sad voice spoke up.

"There's the gutter."

As a result of this, One-One hit the other side of the ball and caused it to spin to the other direction before the group were swept off their feet and landed in a hole before One-One spoke again.

"This is where I belong."

As they got up, though, Bryce realized the worst wasn't over yet as they took notice of what they landed in. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Multi-Ball meant as Bryce spoke up.

"Oh, no. Everybody hang on!"

Right on cue, four large balls spiraled right towards them while Tulip held onto One-One and Bryce did the same for Penny as they all bumped the ball farther away. From there, it took quite some time to get back on schedule, but they escaped that trap and exited the car. Despite what happened, though, Penny and One-One were excited for the most part. Even Bryce had to admit it was fun. Tulip, on the other hand, wasn't quite so focused on fun so much as getting home as Penny and One-One spoke in both voices.

"That was so much fun!"

"I know! I almost found my mom that time. And Tulip got the eleventh-highest score in pinball!"

"Don't want to be in the Top-10, though. Too much pressure."

As Tulip looked at her number on her hand, she noticed that it still hadn't changed one bit since she started. The fact that it hasn't was getting on her nerves. Bryce, however, took notice of her stress and didn't feel it was right to leave her like this. That's when he realized that there's still enough time to ask about that game he has in mind again. Hopefully, it'll at least calm her nerves down some, although he's still curious about who she really was.

"So, uh, Tulip. Now that we have the time, maybe we can do 'twenty quest—'"

However, contrary to Bryce's plan, Tulip just snapped at them, completely fed up that nobody else seemed to take this matter seriously as she caused One-One to fall off of her shoulder and split up into two again, one of which was glad while the other was sad. Of course, Tulip kept Penny in mind and what she thought of all of it. For her, it's understandable to be that way, but in Bryce's case, she felt like he should know better, especially since he's in her position.

"Ugh! Are you serious right now? First off, I only agreed to stick with you just so I could get off this train. That doesn't mean we're friends, so don't ask me any personal stuff. And second, this isn't a game to me, guys."

Glad One begged to differ as he spoke up to Tulip.

"We can still have fun."

"Not when you have things to do. You work first so you get to enjoy the fun later. I help my dad fix the go-karts, I get to drive them before he resells then. Work first."

As Bryce heard this, he could tell that she was strict about it. But given that she was a teenager, he of all people knew that nobody always played by the rules, so she can't be the exception. And even if she was, she can't be happy about working in the hot sun, nobody could be. So, he gave her a look in disbelief while Penny became interested in something Tulip mentioned as he spoke to Tulip, making her see his point before she continued her standing on it.

"What's a go-kart?"

"Really? What about in the summertime? Doesn't it get hot then?"

"O-Okay, sometimes there was pizza during the work and hose fights, but all of that was still under the work umbrella."

In that moment, Penny took notice of the number on Tulip's hand and became intrigued. Personally, she didn't see it herself since she tried to snuggle Bryce for comfort after the Grid Car fiasco, so it was news to her.

"Hey! You got a number, too!"

"Of course, I have a—"

When Tulip tried to look at it, she immediately became alarmed to see a change. Back then, when she started, it was at "115", but now, it was one number short. The fact that it could change was a surprise to her, as well as a horrifying one. Since she knew little about that number to begin with, she could only assume the worst as she spoke in a panic, catching Bryce's attention.

"Ahh!"

"What's wrong, Tulip?"

"My number! It was '115' before!"

Hearing this piece of news, Bryce began to think about the last time he checked his number. Back then, it was at the Snow Car, just before they met Tulip and One-One. Could the number have changed for him, too? To find out, he took a look at it and saw that his had changed as well. It was still just behind Tulip's, but it's been changed to "115". Seeing this change, he turned to Tulip and explained it to her, forcing her deeper into panic mode.

"That's weird. _My _number's at '115' right now."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Did I— Did I do something wrong? Did I lose a point?! Am I being timed?!"

With Tulip in full panic mode, Bryce tried to ease her down as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Tulip. It's not the first time my number's changed."

"It isn't?"

"No. But it can't be anything bad. Right, One-One?"

Seeing the situation for themselves, however, Sad and Glad Ones knew better than to say that exactly as the former spoke before the latter interrupted.

"I've seen that happen before. When it reaches zero, you're a gone—"

"You're gone forever!"

"I was talking."

Upon hearing this part of the info about the number, Bryce recalled what happened at the Grid Car. It wasn't exactly the best way to go for anybody since they disintegrated into dust. Back then, he thought it was a regular occurrence. But now, he began to think that the number and that wormhole were connected as he spoke to Sad One.

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone?' Like— you mean like what happened to that guy earlier?!"

"Pretty much."

Of course, that did not sit well with Tulip at all. When she first got here, she knew little to nothing about her number. But now that she does, she's learned that it's an instrument of her destruction. And like everybody else, Tulip was not willing to die. So, she went way past panic mode and became scared and angry, letting those feelings out quickly all at once as she spoke.

"That's it? So, the instant our numbers go down to zero, we're gone?! Just like that?!"

With Tulip near the point where she'd get a headache, Bryce tried again to calm her down before she does anything rash, but unlike last time, it was unsuccessful as he spoke to her only to be interrupted as she banged her hand on the bridge.

"Tulip, calm down. We're still here, aren't we?"

"What does that matter? Nobody said my number was going to change. Nobody said anything! _You _didn't say anything! Now we're gonna die on this stupid train 'cause there isn't a stupid rulebook!"

As Tulip snapped more viciously than before, she got Penny afraid of her again as she backed up fearfully whereas Glad One crawled up to her as he spoke.

"You rule in my book, Ms. Tulip."

Nice as it was to hear it, Tulip knew that complements aren't going to get her or Bryce off of the train. Not that they weren't in a hurry before, but faced with death itself, Tulip would rather win the game she had no idea she was playing. And to do that, she needed to focus on the task at hand as she ran to the next car with Glad and Sad Ones back together into a little ball and in tow as she spoke.

"Ugh! I don't have time for this!"

As Tulip took off, Bryce helped Penny up onto his back before he held her legs while she held on his neck before he ran to her, hoping he wouldn't lose her.

"Tulip, at least wait for us!"

* * *

As the red door in front of her opened, Tulip was surprised to find herself in a tranquil setting that wasn't so chaotic like the last few cars so far. It was a relief that they could rest at least, but with what Tulip learned, there'd be no point in it anymore. Right now, all that mattered was for her to go home and escape death. But with no other door in sight, it didn't seem possible. Although, she did hear a different feminine voice far away from her as she turned her head.

"That's right. Step right up."

As Tulip looked in that direction, she tried to find out where it was coming from as she went to a nearby hill. At the same time, Bryce came in and was looking for Tulip with Penny in tow as he looked left and right for her while shouting.

"Tulip! Tulip, where are yo—"

Before he could finish his shouting, he heard a harsh shush from afar. Fortunately for him, it turned out to be Tulip as she held a finger over her mouth before he motioned her to come over. Bryce wasn't sure what that was about, given how panicked she was earlier, but once he looked over the hill, it became clear to him. What he saw was a beige-colored cat with what appeared to be a jacket and tie on her as well as a wobbly water creature behind a pile of junk. It surely was a rare surprise to see those in the car that didn't try to kill them, but Bryce then looked at the situation going on between them as she spoke.

"There we go. Say, I didn't catch your name."

"Randall?"

"That's a strong name. A strong name for a strong man."

Contrary to the cat's words, however, Randall proved to be a bit dull as he stood blank-eyed while a water bubble went up inside him before the cat proceeded to business, unaware of her audience as Penny spoke to Bryce.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. That's what I want to know."

Fortunately, Bryce didn't have to wait much longer for that as the cat spoke to Randall.

"An effluent man such as yourself can turn his pile of junk into donuts with this truly miraculous product— the Donut-Holer."

As they oversaw the situation, Tulip could tell what it actually was while Bryce had his reservations. He's no stranger to these scams, and he's thankful he never fell for one, mainly because his parents inhibited him from doing so. They always told him they'd do anything to go after his money. Although, it's not likely that Randall had any, at least not any that can be counted as legal tender. So what could the cat possibly want with him? He tried to figure that out as Tulip spoke up in a whisper.

"That kinda just looks like a pipe."

"That's because it's a scam, Tulip. What you got right there is a con artist."

Upon hearing this, Penny became curious as she spoke.

"What's a con artist?"

"Well, a con artist is someone who makes money by ripping people off with fake products."

As Penny looked to the cat's alleged "Donut-Holer", she presumed it didn't look fake as she was actually holding it in her paws. To her, the word "fake" means something that isn't true, like a lie. But seeing the object in her paw, Penny couldn't tell whether or not it was fake as she spoke.

"But it looks real to me."

This only earned a sigh and a facepalm from Bryce before the cat proceeded with the demonstration of the so-called "miraculous product" as she pulled a piece of paper and then a straw hat before stamping through them with the pipe, making Randall all the more convinced.

"I'll demonstrate. Presto! Donut! This hat? Bon appétit! Donut. Am I going too fast for you?"

"I get to be in charge of selling these Donut-Holers? I can start my own business?!"

"Yes! Why, you could have a whole sales team selling those Donut-Holers— with pioneers like us right at the top!"

"Yeah, like a pyramid scheme!"

"I wouldn't think of it so much as a pyramid _scheme _as a pyramid _team_."

As Bryce overheard this, he let out a scoff of disbelief as he spoke under his breath just as the cat tossed the pipe to Randall's body, entering in him and wiggling around as she spoke.

"Pfft! Yeah, right..."

"You don't even know the best part. This is the only Donut-Holer certified by my close, personal... acquaintance, the Conductor."

The instant Tulip heard this, she sat straight up like a rocket, taking Bryce by surprise as she placed One-One behind her as Bryce had a feeling about what that meant. Before the cat said anything about him, nothing but a look of confusion was earned from Tulip, but after that, she was all in on that. Bryce began to think it was all suspicious that the cat would mention the conductor the way she did as they spoke.

"Conductor?!"

"Now, Just wait a minute."

With their numbers going down, Tulip just couldn't wait. Instead, she acted on her impulse to get back home as she ran to the cat while shouting for her.

"H-Hey!"

Upon hearing her voice, the cat turned to see Tulip and Bryce headed down the hill before they all caught up to her. In that moment, Tulip immediately began to vent her frustrations so far on the train, hoping she'd have an answer. Although, when Tulip said her problems at such a quick pace, Bryce was surprise at how fast she'd said all that.

"I'm supposed to be going to OshKosh. It's his place in Wisconsin. And also, my name is Tulip, and this is Bryce and Penny. I should've said that earlier. But there's a Game Design Camp, and my parents signed a contract, and I ended up on this stupid train, and I didn't want any of this!"

"Geez. Quite the talker, aren't you?"

Frustrated as Tulip was with Bryce already, the cat spoke up to her, getting her attention as she knelt down to the cat and showed her the number on her hand while Bryce held his number up to illustrate Tulip's point. He may not have much trust towards the cat, but for now, it seemed to be the best option to get to the conductor as Tulip spoke after the cat.

"My goodness, kitten! One step at a time."

"This number keeps going down, and if it reaches zero, we're done for. We just want to find a way off this train, and you said you know the conductor. You have to help us before we die."

As the cat looked at the number, she could see why they're stressed. Well, she could see why Tulip was stressed, whereas Bryce had his reservations towards her as he gave her a suspicious look. He must know about her line of work since he laid eyes on the scene. Although, that wouldn't be to say she didn't know how they worked, and so, decided to indulge them as the cat spoke to Tulip.

"Tell me, kitten, what makes you think the digits below your digits are counting down to your death?"

As an answer, Tulip got One-One out of her backpack and showed him to the cat, much to the cat's surprise and Bryce's caution. He could tell from the look on her face that she must know One-One in some way. Automatically, he knew something was wrong as he spoke after Tulip showed her.

"Uh... One-One told me?"

"Now, hold on a second—"

Before Bryce could speak further, One-One's glad side spoke up to the cat, trying to determine if it was his mother.

"Mum check! Hmm. Much too furry. Or not furry enough?"

Hearing One-One's description about her, the cat began to take interest in it as she spoke before Tulip explained.

"Mother check? C'est intéressant."

"Yeah, he's looking for his mom, or creator, or whatever. But... our number..."

"We'll get there. Patience."

With that, she took the straw hat she holed up with her pipe and spoke to One-One, putting him to a test with a couple of questions, the glad voice answering her first one before the sad one replied to the second question it had to offer.

"Excuse me, white ball. Is this donut hat your mother?"

"Hmm... yes?"

"Mm. And tell me, if I put this donut hat on my head, will I die?"

"Sure. Why not?"

From those answers, the cat could easily make a guess about One-One as she spoke to Tulip before Bryce spoke to her, beginning to see her point, though he still kept his word about him.

"Charming fellow, but not the most reliable, is he?"

"Wait. So you're saying we're _not _going to die?"

"I'd say that is the case, yes."

Upon hearing this, Tulip began to get furious. She got into full panic mode because of One-One. For her to realize it wasn't the case wasn't just embarrassing, it was far from okay. It's like being pranked on April Fool's, and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't okay to begin with. And so, she flipped him upside-down for him to see he as she spoke before the sad voice replied.

"Wha— One-One! You made us think we were gonna die!"

"It would be surprising if you _never _died."

This only earned a grunt from Tulip before she rolled One-One into Randall, earning a light giggle from Penny as One-One floated inside him. Seeing his watery body in action, she felt it could be fun to try as Penny tapped on his shoulder, an arrangement made to keep from choking Bryce when she had something she needed to say whenever she was on his back before she spoke.

"Can I go play with One-One?"

"Sure. Be my guest."

With that, Penny ran towards Randall and jumped into him before she phased right into the body. The moment she did, Penny managed to grab One-One and pop out the other side of him as Randall looked over to see her holding One-One while she giggled before his glad voice spoke up to her before the sad one.

"That was fun."

"Sure, if you like being drowned."

Right at that moment, with Penny tending to One-One, Bryce began to wonder about what actually happened to that guy at the train. One-One said that if the number went to zero, they'd be gone forever. But gone from where? And what did that wormhole actually do? Before he could think of the answer to at least one of those questions, the cat spoke up to Tulip and Bryce, going around their legs like any cat would.

"I'm sure the Conductor would be just as sympathetic to your plight. I'd rush off to see him right now, but my personal shuttlecraft has been grounded."

This caught Tulip and Bryce's attention. Maybe that's how she knew the Conductor to begin with. It could've been her transport vehicle given to her by him. With that logic, Tulip spoke up to the cat before Bryce voiced his doubts.

"You have a shuttlecraft?"

"I'm sorry, but there's no way you have a shuttlecraft."

* * *

Later, when they got deeper in the Beach Car, Bryce found himself proven wrong as he saw a small ball with brown wiring around it as well as a stand for it before he spoke up to the cat.

"Oh, what do you know?"

"I'd fix her myself, but... you know, no thumbs."

As the cat showed her paw to Tulip and Bryce, they could easily see her point. She is a cat, after all. From there, the former of the two took notice of what she has on her hands, as well as Bryce's. They had what the cat obviously didn't, so it was clear to her what to do. Although, Bryce still didn't feel it was a good idea to just go along with what the cat was selling to them as she spoke before he did, trying to whisper a reminder of who she was.

"We have thumbs. I don't know anything about shuttlecrafts, but I've fixed some stuff with my dad."

"Hold on, Tulip. You can't just help her. She's a con artist, remember?"

"I know. But she's the only lead we have to getting to the Conductor?"

"So what? How do you know if she'll even take you to the Conductor?"

At that point, the cat was overhearing every word he was saying about her as she quickly piped up with a clear of her throat before she spoke, primarily to Bryce as she leaped up onto Tulip's shoulder.

"I can assure you, kitten, I will take you to the Conductor."

"Don't call me that."

"Although, there's still the issue of... my payment."

The instant they heard this, Bryce easily became threatened as he threw his arms into the air.

"That's it. I'm going to sit this one out."

With that, he walked down the hill to see Penny, One-One, and Randall and keep them company. For him, it was a better use of his time to see Penny and One-One playing with the Donut-Holer than to take any of the cat's nonsense. He'd worked too hard to get the money he needed to save his parents. And he's not about to let this con artist steal it from him. As for Tulip, she was curious about what she meant by that as she spoke, unaware that he was beginning to overhear what they were saying.

"Payment?"

"Even with my craft, it will take a week, maybe two to get the Conductor. That's a lot of sales in missing out on."

Hearing this from the cat, he only gave a raspberry before he spoke to himself under his breath.

"Don't you mean scams...?"

While Bryce decided to ignore the rest of the conversation, Tulip felt as though she knew what the cat meant as she got out her money from her jacket pocket before she spoke the cat.

"I have... $12.42. But one of the pennies is Canadian."

"Money doesn't have much value to me. I've always been more interested in the peculiar and unique. You know, I could take the white ball off your hands. In exchange, I will speak with the Conductor about getting you two to... where was it again? 'Wis-con-sohn'?"

Having heard the cat's idea of the payment, Tulip began to be unsure about what the situation. After all, Bryce told her she was a con artist. And who's to say she even knows about the Conductor at all? Plus, One-One didn't mean to have her in panic mode; he meant well, despite how things turned out in the past few cars. So, she looked over to One-One as she spoke.

"One-One? You want to take One-One with you?"

At this point, Tulip began to think Bryce might be right about the cat. She did seem a little too interested in One-One. However, while she was looking at One-One, she took notice of his handiwork. Penny and One-One were taking turns with the Donut-Holer, whereas the latter just holed up one more item before he spoke up to Tulip and Bryce.

"Ms. Tulip, Mr. Bryce, we made so many donuts!"

Unfortunately, the one item that One-One holed up turned out to be something that meant a lot to her. It was the map to OshKosh's Game Design Camp. Upon seeing this, Tulip became worried while Bryce made out the words OshKosh above the hole. Last he remembered, she wanted to get to OshKosh, so this might be the map for it. The question was how did One-One get to it. Bryce didn't have time to figure that out as Tulip reacted in a worried exclamation before he rushed over and tried to get it back.

"D'oh!"

"Hey! One-One! How'd you even get that?"

While Bryce did that, the cat saw the opportunity to seal the deal as she spoke to it.

"Do you really need him, or do you want to get off this train?"

With Bryce handling the situation, Tulip began to see the cat's point. Ever since they met, One-One was of no help to her whatsoever. The rate they're going, he might as well be a distraction, an obstacle. And Tulip was not willing to have any if she wanted to get back home. For her, the decision wasn't so hard after all as she held her hand out to the cat and shook it while she spoke.

"Deal."

* * *

Much later afterwards, Tulip was working on the shuttlecraft while Penny ran around with One-One in the field, playing a game of tag with Penny being the one chased and the robot proving surprisingly fast as a ball. In the meantime, Bryce was taping up the hole One-One made on the map with good old Scotch tape from his backpack. It was the see-through type, so that should make it easy for her to read. Once Bryce was done patching it up with one more layer, he turned over to see Tulip to show it to her. However, at the moment, she seemed busy, so he carefully folded it and stored it in his jacket pocket for later as the cat spoke to Randall, who took a blade of grass into his body and held it in his body.

"What kind of your own boss do you want to be?"

"I don't think I like that word 'boss.' I want to feel like we're all on the same team. Team Randall!"

Amidst that conversation, Tulip was working on the shuttlecraft just as Penny got near the group only to be caught by One-One at the last moment as he jumped on her back and pinned her to the ground as the Glad voice spoke up before the sad as Penny made a cute frown.

"I've got you! Yay! Yay us! Yuss!"

"No. Nuss."

"I was so close that time."

Seeing this, Bryce couldn't help but smile at seeing how well the time of them got along together as One-One rolled over to the group while he spoke.

"There's always next time, Penny."

While Bryce went over to Penny and lifted her up off the ground, One-One began to have questions developing in his circuits about Tulip as he inquired to her with his glad and sad voices speaking to her, although the former of the voices took up the majority of the questions he wanted to ask.

"Ms. Tulip, how tall are you?"

"Oh, I'm about..."

"What is your hair?"

"How am I supposed to answer that?"

"Is your name Tulip because you have a bulbous head?"

As Bryce heard that question, he couldn't help but snicker at One-One's curiosity as Tulip corrected him.

"What? No. It was when I was born. There were complications."

As the two of them heard this, Bryce knew from the videos he watched in High School as a freshman that giving birth was no easy task for women, especially since the way they treat their bodies has a factor in it. Other times, it won't even be their fault. Some babies would end up born prematurely, but most of them were lucky to survive. However, the worst part is the miscarriage, when a baby was unable to survive, even in the safety of her mother's womb. Whether or not One-One knew about it, Bryce could understand his concern as his glad voice spoke in alarm.

"Oh, no! Did you make it out alive?"

"Uh, yeah. It was some kind of breathing issue. But I bounced back like a 'perennial flower' or something. At least, that's what my mom told me."

As he heard Tulip's origin on how she was named, Bryce began to see where the name came from. Now that he thought about it, it's really no wonder he didn't hear someone named that. It must've been one-of-a-kind. And he took great appreciation of that as he spoke up.

"Oh, so that's why you're named Tulip. That's nice to know."

The cat, however, began to feel it was arbitrary in the grand scheme of things as she spoke, making Tulip self-conscious about it as she spoke.

"So you could've been named after any perennial plant? Like Horseradish?"

"No. I don't know. I didn't name me."

With that, One-One scurried over to flowers in the field next to the group before picking a white flower off and placing it on Tulip's ear as he spoke.

"Look, Ms. Tulip. It's you."

"That's a daisy."

Despite the obvious, Bryce could see that One-One must really like Tulip in the time he's known her. It's like it knows how to trust and how to feel. No wonder the cat was so interested in the robot. Speaking of, Bryce looked over to the cat and decided to keep an extra close eye on her as he glared to her while Penny went over to the cat and tried to pet her, much to the cat's embarrassment as the little girl spoke before the feline as she felt her fur being rubbed, given her a strange sensation she's not sure she's comfortable with.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"I'm... not... a kitten!"

Seeing her like this made Bryce give a small smile as Tulip spoke up.

"I may not know what anything does, but there is a gear thing here that isn't in there. Do you know where we could get a replacement?"

As an answer, Randall raised his "hand" in the air and waved it as he spoke up.

"Oh, I know! I know!"

* * *

Later, Randall, Tulip, Bryce, and the others got all the way to the beach. This made Bryce confused on where they're supposed to find the replacement. At first, he thought they'd have to fish for it, but when Randall approached the ocean, the waters began to move away before it began rising up like a tidal wave. But instead of crashing down, it actually revealed a sort of trade market, like the ones in Egypt, considering the decor. Despite the confusion between them, Tulip, Bryce, Penny, One-One, and the cat followed Randall in the marketplace as countless others like him spoke, albeit in the same voice, to the group.

"Welcome to the market. Soak up your trouble."

"Metal squid attack got you down? Shop your cares away."

"Put a wiggle in your step."

As Bryce took a look at the water people around them, it began to make sense to him why Randall would take a blade of grass. It was to distinguish himself from the rest as the others had a starfish, an anemone, even a snail's shell inside them. As luck would have it, Randall as just headed over to a gelatin stand with another of his people, who was on top of the gelatin stand, only to open it as a compartment to create legs, which attracted a lot of attention while the rest of the group pressed onwards to the main store that had the part they needed. When they got there, Tulip set One-One down on the counter before the robot began to dance. The salesman who saw the dance found it slightly fascinating as he gave his opinion of it.

"Ah, very cute."

At the time, One-One assumed he was talking about Tulip. In his eyes, he couldn't agree more as his glad voice spoke up.

"I think she's cute, too."

Hearing this comment, Tulip began to be embarrassed as she groaned before she decided to move onto business.

"How, uh, how much for that gear over there?"

"Ah, expensive taste."

The salesman would've spoke on for longer, but then, he took notice of Tulip's accessory on her ear. It was a rare commodity never seen in the ocean, so he began to get eager for it as he spoke.

"Hold the sponge. Now, that's a handsome-looking flower."

As One-One heard this, he knew what the salesman was talking about as he ceased playing with a pearl on the counter before he spoke up to him in his glad voice.

"You mean my personal, heartfelt gift that I picked out for my personal, heartfelt friend?"

This made the salesman more intrigued about it. One-One meant to have closed off his interest, but because of its rarity, heartfelt gifts actually turned out to be more precious as an economy with the salesman speaking about it to Tulip.

"Ah, sounds valuable."

"Oh. I mean, it's not really for sale..."

"Too late. Now that I've seen it, it's the only thing I want."

At that moment, the cat chimed in, adding a sort of irony to the situation as she spoke, inadvertently infuriating Bryce as he looked to the cat.

"Oh, the price we pay for the things we desire most."

"Quiet, you!"

At this point, Tulip was caught in a dilemma. She didn't want to hurt One-One's feelings, but at the same time, she wanted the fastest way off the train. More than that, the salesman was having a blank smile towards her, like it was a dummy. She couldn't tell if it was some sort of staring contest with him, but if it was, he's really trying her patience. Eventually, Tulip made the choice to forsake One-One's gift, especially since it was a daisy, which really wasn't her name.

"Ugh, fine! Just take it!"

With that, Tulip placed her daisy on the counter and grabbed One-One with her while absconding with the gear that could repair the shuttlecraft. With the trade made, One-One began to get sad as he spoke in the tone that matched his mood.

"My mechanical heart breaks again. I hope the warranty's still good."

As Tulip overheard One-One's sad tone, she began to feel bad for him. It's not like she _wanted _to make him upset, but she didn't have a choice. Not if she wanted to go back home. However, Penny didn't see it that way as she saw how sad One-One was before she spoke to the suspicious Bryce, who glared at the cat.

"Why did Tulip hate the flower? I thought it was nice."

Upon hearing her question, Bryce snapped out of his caution and looked to see Penny's sad face as he looked over to Tulip. If he learned more out of her personal life outside of her name and origin, then maybe he'd tell her, but all he knew beyond that was that she wanted to get to OshKosh. That's the only reason he could think of. And given the circumstances, he began to feel that it made sense in a selfish way. Bryce didn't want to view her that way, but he's having difficulty not to.

"I really don't know, Penny..."

* * *

Later, outside the train, the new gear was added to the cat's shuttlecraft before it began to move quickly. With all the gears in place, the cat was now able to hold up her end of the bargain, although at the moment it was lost on him. Bryce knew that she's the only one with the connection to the Conductor so far, but he still couldn't stand a con artist, helpful or not.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, just hurry up. The sooner you get going, the sooner we can get back home."

As the cat got in the shuttlecraft, Tulip made a deep sigh, knowing what would happen next. With the deal she made, she has to give up One-One if she wanted to get back home. At first, she seemed ready to do it, but now, with how she's hurt One-One, she's not sure she should. Unfortunately, her conflict wasn't lost on Bryce as he looked over to her.

"What's wrong, Tulip?"

"Nothing. It's just... I have something to say to One-One, before he leaves..."

As Bryce heard this, he began to get confused. The way she said it, it sounded as if One-One wasn't going to stay with her. But she knew One-One didn't mean to mess up with her. She wouldn't trade him off like that, would she? In the hopes that she wouldn't, especially with how attached Penny is to One-One as she hugged him in her arms, Bryce tried to ask.

"Leaves? What do you mean?"

As a response, Tulip made no answer to him, not sure if she could deal with the guilt of how he'd feel about what she'd done before turning to One-One as she spoke.

"Well, One-One... this is goodbye—"

Unaware of the situation, One-One spoke up to Tulip in excitement with his glad voice while Penny held him.

"A new adventure! Where shall we meet again?"

"We shall'nt... meet again."

As Penny heard this, she became confused as she looked at Tulip. In truth, she was just as out of the loop of the deal as Bryce was. With how soft she was, she figured the cat was just grumpy until she got someone to rub her. But to hear that One-One was leaving made her a bit sad as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, Penny. It's just— We're leaving the train. We can't take One-One with us. But he'll be with the cat now, and... she seems nice."

Upon hearing this, Bryce looked over to Tulip with suspicion. From those words alone, he could tell something was amiss with Tulip, given his constant warnings about the cat. Con artists always want something to trade to give their victims what they want, but at the price of what they had. As he began piecing the puzzle together, Penny began to see Tulip's point as she became saddened to hear that One-One has to leave. And she wasn't the only one, either. The sad part of One-One became dominant as he spoke after Penny's dejected tone.

"Oh. Okay..."

"If it helps you with your journey, I understand."

With that, Penny sadly walked to the cat's shuttlecraft with One-One in tow before she looked at the cat with a sad look. She knew One-One had to go to get home to be with her new family, but at the same time, One-One was very dear to her, too. He was so much fun just to be around with for the time they've been together. For all that to end, it made her heartbroken, and Tulip wasn't sure how she'd handle the guilt of it as Penny spoke to the cat, confusing the feline as she recalled her earlier petting before putting on a friendly smile as she placed her paw on her nose.

"Take good care of him, okay?"

"Don't worry, little kitten. You have my word. Now, you just sit tight, and I'll have the Conductor sort out this whole mess."

As Penny got down from the edge of the shuttlecraft, the door closed before it backed up and moved the stand like it was a cannon before launching itself on the train, latching onto it like a magnet before it pulled the shuttlecraft along with it as the door popped open while One-One popped out and waved goodbye as his sad voice shouted to Tulip.

"Goodbye forever, Ms. Tulip!"

As One-One said those words, Tulip began to feel worse as she held her head down. And she's not the only one. Penny was beginning to sob, unable to deal with the fact that One-One is gone forever. As Bryce saw her like this, he tried to comfort her as he lifted her up and let her sob onto his shirt to calm her down. During this, he gave a sharp glare to Tulip, something that wasn't noticed by her as she sighed.

* * *

In the Beach Car, about ten minutes had passed since One-One's departure. And it was at that length of time that Penny was able to calm down, but her sour mood didn't change one bit. Frankly, neither did Bryce's, for he was sour for a different reason, and Tulip of all people must know what it was. With all the guilt swelling up in her, she's having no idea how to get rid of it, and it was making her as scared and afraid as when she thought she was going to die. However, Tulip recalled when Bryce wanted to play twenty questions. At the moment before, she felt it was intrusive, but now, she realized it could help her calm down. So, she tried to ask Bryce about it as she spoke to the sour Bryce who looked at the ocean while Penny laid on the grass, looking at the sky as she sighed.

"Hey, Bryce. Are you, uh, still on for 'twenty questions?'"

The instant he heard those words, Bryce instantly snapped at her as he shot his glare at her before he spoke.

"Oh, _now _you want to play? Well, too bad. There's no point. I don't want to play it anymore."

With that, Bryce only got up and walked away. As he did, Tulip began to feel that Bryce was being ridiculous. It's understandable that he's upset over what she did to One-One, but that should be no reason to exclude her from the game. As much as a small part of her felt she deserved that, the larger part of herself, mainly her ego, felt that it was unfair and urged her to address the issue to him.

"What do you want from me?!"

Hearing Tulip shout at him, Bryce stopped walking to listen to her shout. He's used to her usual rantings throughout the cars, so he felt it better for her to talk them out as usual. But after what she just did, Bryce felt he deserved a shot at her. However, he's not so angry to have forgotten the "ladies first" policy, so he let her speak as she shouted.

"All those times I took everything seriously, you and Penny just wanted to have fun and goof off and be irresponsible and immature! I've been as patient as I could about that until now, but the one time I tried to have fun, and you just wouldn't let me have it?! What kind of friend are you supposed to be?! I'm sorry about what I did to One-One, but that doesn't give you the right to treat me like a scumbag!"

As Tulip finished shouting her grievances on him, she began to pant due to how exhausting it was getting to be. When he said nothing, Tulip was beginning to get angrier than ever about what it meant. Did he decide not to listen to her, or was that because he didn't care?

"Well?! Say something!"

As per her request, Bryce began to tense his hand in fury, the fury he's held back since he's met her. Throughout the journey on the train, Tulip's constant bickering to them and One-One was getting to him. He wanted to get back home as much as she did, but for her to do what she just did in spite of his constant warnings was critically stupid, especially when she knew what it'd do to others around her. However, she proved that she didn't care about that one bit. And he's preparing to release every ounce of venom he's developed around her, all of it, onto her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

When Tulip heard the harsh, calm tone in his voice, she was beginning to get frightened. However, Bryce had not yet begun to bare his fangs.

"Did you honestly think that _that's _what I wanted to do? Goof off? Be immature? Irresponsible? Because as far as I can tell... YOU'RE THE ONE BEING IRRESPONSIBLE!"

With Bryce shouting at full volume, it was almost as if he's blowing her away with his voice. Almost as if he'd gained a superpower during his time on the train. If he'd have been any louder, she may not have been able to hear anymore, that's for sure. However, Bryce wasn't done yet as he continued.

"What kind of friend are you to just give up on someone who genuinely cared about you enough to give you a stinking flower?! I told you over and over again that the cat's a con artist, but did you listen to me?! No! And that's not the first time you crossed the line, either! Ever since we've teamed up, all you've done is complain about how we're not focusing on the task at hand! But that's all I've _been _doing! Did you see how scared Penny was with that cockroach creature?! Along with trying to get back home, I was the only one working as hard as I could so that she doesn't end up like a sad sack that you made her! What have _you _done?! Nothing but complain that you didn't want this! Well guess what?! I didn't want this, either, yet here I am!"

With Bryce continuing his relentless verbal massacre, Tulip was backing up slowly to the edge of the hill as she tried to get a word in to make him stop. However, Bryce wouldn't let her since he's on a roll. Even then, he's determined to break her the way he broke Penny.

"Bryce—"

"And do you wanna know why I won't let you play that stupid game?! The whole reason I wanted to play that game was because I don't know a thing about you! I never trusted you until then, but I wanted to play that game to make an effort to trust you! But now, after what you just did, there's no point! Because I know who you really are now! A SPOILED, STUPID, UNTRUSTWORTHY, SELFISH BRAT WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT HERSELF!"

With the force of the last word which echoed, Bryce had now completely forced Tulip off of the hill. This was the first time Tulip had been viciously assaulted verbally with such force. If words could hurt, they could've killed her ten times over. And it's not just because what he said was mean, like any kid would label it as. It's because it was the truth. With Tulip looking up to see that Bryce had the high ground, she took notice of what he had in his jacket pocket before she gasped. It was the map to OshKosh that he promised to help repair from One-One's donut-holing.

"To think I wasted all that time fixing that map for _you_."

With that, he let go of Tulip's map and let it land softly in her hands. This made her surprised to say the least, all things considered. Did he really spend all that time fixing it for her? Before she could find out for herself, Bryce replied to her again.

"I hope you're happy. Not that you deserve to be."

Having made his statement, Bryce walked away from Tulip and left her on the sandy floor. After today, Tulip was the last person he ever wanted to see again. Ms. Tabitha warned him that not everybody who had the number were good people, and he knew she was right. She's been everything he said she was to him so far. So now, he's not even going to try acknowledging her anymore. With that mindset, Bryce knelt down to Penny and picked her up bridal style as he spoke to her.

"Come on, Penny. We're going to wait somewhere else."

However, Penny took notice of Tulip's lack of presence around Bryce. Last she checked, she came along with them. She might've been mean at first, but she's gotten more used to her now. Seeing that she wasn't around made her a bit concerned as she spoke to her big brother.

"But what about Tulip?"

"Forget about her. She's no help."

With that, Bryce walked with Penny on his chest as she laid her head on his shoulder before they sat on the far hills where they saw Tulip get back up on the hill and drop her backpack on the grass. As he did, though, Bryce began to feel that he might've gone too far. It's not her fault she got trapped on this train. She had no idea how to respond to any of its unpredictability. A part of him wanted to take back what he said. However, at the same time, Bryce knew that he spoke the truth, however bitter it was. It's up to her to learn how to deal with it.

On her end, though, Tulip was proving to have a hard time dealing with it. After what's happened, all Tulip could do was wait for the cat to come back with the Conductor. Odds are, Bryce and Penny must be doing the same thing, just far away from her. Giving that consequence, as well as a relentless verbal stabbing, Tulip began to wonder. Did she really do the right thing? Even after the choice was made, the conflict between her wanting to leave the train and going back to Wisconsin still ate up Tulip inside as she groaned before putting on her hood and laying down on the floor. However, a certain Randall would not let her have her peace.

"How would you like to try an exciting—"

Before he could finish, Tulip closed her hood tighter around her head before she retorted against him.

"Not now!"

"Okey-dokey. No need to lose enthusiasm. Just need a different marketing audience. Oh, wait a second!"

With that, Randall split himself up into another Randall as his audience before he spoke up.

"I've got vision, my good man, and that vision needs a team."

"Well, I've never been a part of the team."

With that, four more Randalls appeared as the conversation went on.

"Oh, it sounds easy and profitable. When I started Team Randall 38 minutes ago, the mission statement was 'always be there for each other.'"

After what just happened between Bryce and Tulip, she had a different opinion of it, especially with how she treated One-One as she spoke to the Randalls.

"It's... more complicated than that."

"Is it?"

"Oh! Great job asking the hard questions, Randall."

"Oh, thanks, Randall. You may not being in the sales numbers I want, but you've got heart, and I feel like you care about me."

As Tulip heard the Randalls' words, she could hear echoes of Bryce verbally assaulting her again, like it was on loop. If Bryce's mission was to sear those words into her head, it worked. That's all she could hear as her guilt rose up to the surface. More than that, the echoes began to get louder and louder she found herself helpless again before the echoes weren't echoes anymore as they last sentence repeated itself before she finally snapped.

"_A SPOILED, STUPID, UNTRUSTWORTHY, SELFISH BRAT WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT HERSELF!"_

"Stop! That's not what I am! I didn't not care! That cat was gonna help One-One, too! Probably. I don't know. I guess I don't know anything about the cat. I just... wanted to get off... the train."

As she realized the words that came out of her mouth, Tulip looked over to the far hills to see Bryce with Penny, looking over the horizon together. That's when she realized something else. His being on the train was no easier for him, either. And with his sister on board, he feels responsible for her. It's no wonder he hated her so much. At least, she felt that way.

"Bryce was right. I really am a brat..."

As Tulip felt bad about how things turned out, she got to thinking about how far the cat must be by now. Fast as the shuttlecraft was, it couldn't have gotten to the engine, not that she knows whether or not it's possible. If she could just find some way to get One-One back and make it up to Bryce and Penny... As Tulip thought about this, she recognized how slick Randall was as she occasionally saw him moving on the surface area with ease while she helped repair the cat's shuttlecraft. It might be a long shot, but if Tulip is to set things right, it has to work.

"Listen up, Randalls. If you can get me, Bryce, and Penny to the cat, I'll take your Donut-Holer thing."

Hearing this, Randall was eagerly excited that his business was taking off as he spoke.

"Hot dog!"

In an instant, the other Randalls went back in the original before he ended up enlarged, which was about twice her size. With the water creature all together, Randall held his hand to her.

"Hop in my body! It's not as weird as it sounds."

Taking heed of his advice, however confused she was, Tulip took Randall's Donut-Holer and then dive into Randall's body before she floated up to the top of his head. While she was inside the Randall, Tulip looked to where the far hills were and pointed to them.

"Randall, we need to pick them up first!"

"No problem!"

With that, Randall went full steam ahead towards them. In the meantime, Bryce and Penny were just watching the horizon in front of them, left with nothing but the hope that Tulip could be right about the cat helping them see the Conductor. Of course, they'd sometimes look to where Tulip would rest, hoping that she'd feel better from the verbal assault Bryce gave her. This time, when they looked, however, they were surprised to see a stampeding Randall fishing at them before he took them into his body, causing them to float up to the head beside Tulip as Bryce spoke to her, trying to understand what just took him by surprise as he spoke.

"What the heck is going on?!"

"We're stopping that cat and getting One-One back."

As Bryce heard this as her answer, he became surprised and grateful that she bounced back from such an apoplectic display of fury he'd unleashed on her. However, he was still wondering what Randall has to do with it as he spoke.

"Okay, but what's he doing here?"

"He's our ride!"

As Randall zipped through the hills, Tulip realized she needed to get One-One's heartfelt gift back as she saw the beach where Randall took them to the market as she spoke up.

"Turn here real quick!"

As per her request, Randall turned over to the market where she made a trade for the flower with a pack of gum in place before she, Bryce, Penny, and Randall took off while the salesman became interested in the different item.

"Cool! Gum!"

* * *

As Randall burst out of the door and landed on the train with Tulip, Bryce, and Penny in tow, the little girl saw the flower in her hand and knew what it meant. She doubted it at first the last time they went to the market, but to see that she came back for it made her smile. As for Bryce, he's just hoping that they could get to the shuttlecraft and bust the cat as he took notice of the cat's vehicle in front of them.

"There it is! Dead ahead!"

With that, Tulip tried to get to the cat as Randall got near the shuttlecraft while she spoke, hoping the cat would change her mind as she did hers.

"I changed my mind! I want One-One back!"

However, the cat only proved she's not to reason with as she denied her plea.

"Sorry, kitten. We had a deal."

As One-One saw her, however, it got exited and jumped up to see her, Penny, and Bryce as it spoke in its glad voice to her.

"Ms. Tulip!"

"One-One, I shouldn't have—"

Before she could finish, the cat began putting the pedal to the metal, making her worried as she shouted.

"One-One!"

As the shuttlecraft sped away, Bryce growled as he tensed his fists. He always hated con artists since he'd heard about them. And he's not about to let one get away as he shouted to Randall.

"Randall, full speed ahead!"

In compliance with Randall's request, he sped up to the shuttlecraft, making the cat take notice of them behind her. Upon seeing them, she gave a sharp yowl of anger before pushing her paw on a button that shot its magnet onto another train car before it propelled her away from Randall just as he would've gotten to it. To make matters worse, Randall didn't look like he had enough track to tread on. Fortunately, Tulip has an idea to fix that as she shouted to Randall next.

"Up and over!"

With that, Randall proceeded to do as Tulip asked him, jumping over the gap between the cars and splitting into multiple Randalls in the process while she, Bryce, and Penny were in midair as he held the little girl in his arms. Fortunately, the Randalls reformed into one just as quickly before it landed on top of the shuttlecraft with Tulip on top of it within Randall as she spoke while underwater.

"One-One!"

Upon seeing her, the cat was becoming desperate as she tried to push the shuttlecraft's speed further. However, neither Randall, Bryce, Penny, nor Tulip would go as the three of them popped their heads out of Randall before he spoke up to Tulip.

"Great. We're on the shuttlecraft. Now what?"

As luck would have it, Tulip knew what to do as she spoke to Randall again.

"Can you slip in the cracks?"

"'Slip In The Cracks' is my middle name— Randall Slip In The Cracks Randall."

Hearing Randall's full name, Bryce couldn't help but be confused before he got back to business as he spoke.

"Really? Randall's your last name, too? Wait, never mind that! Just do it already!"

With that, Randall began to slip in the cracks like his middle name suggests, much to the cat's alarm as she exclaimed before the drips of water reformed into Mini Randalls as they spoke to her.

"You know, you really are a smart cookie."

This would've been a harmless trick were it not for the fact that they were shifting out the controls, which made the cat yowl in panic before she was forced to find a way to make a safe crash on the train. As a result, Randall, Bryce, Penny, Tulip, and the cat flew off of the car before crashing into the other car by the structure and then landing by the side of it as the group landed next to the shuttlecraft as it popped open the door. And out of the door came One-One, who was eager to see them again as his glad voice spoke.

"Ms. Tulip!"

With that, One-One just hopped off of the shuttlecraft and towards Tulip who held him as Penny laughed before she hugged him. As much as Bryce loved to see her happy again, however, he still didn't forget about the cat that popped up from the shuttlecraft as well as she glared at the group.

"And to think I was beginning to enjoy your child's petting. You just made a big mistake. Good luck getting off this train now."

Having had enough of her for one day, Bryce turned to Randall before he spoke.

"Look, Randall! A potential customer!"

"Hot dog!"

Immediately, Randall went over to the cat, making her cower as he and his mini clones spoke to her.

"Have I got a deal for you!"

"Say, you look like a smart gal."

"This Donut-Holer is..."

With the cat incapacitated, Bryce gave a smug laugh, knowing he caught his con artist and humiliated her before he spoke.

"Yeah, that's what you get, con artist!"

With that, Tulip looked back to One-One, knowing how hurt she must've made him feel. Every time she thought back on what she did to him, her guilt would rise up in her. Looking back on it now, she realized how selfish she'd been by agreeing to the cat's deal in the first place. And she wanted that wretched feeling to go away as she tried to apologize to One-One.

"I'm so sorry I gave you to the cat. I was just scared that I would never get off the train, and you made us think we were gonna die, and that doesn't make it okay. But you care, and you're a good friend, and I appreciate that, and that makes me care, and I just— And I just— I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Ms. Tulip. I knew you'd bounce back, just like when your parents hatched you."

Hearing One-One forgive her with his glad voice was a relief, of course. But he wasn't the only one she needed to apologize to. By now, she's realized how much of a pain the neck she was to Bryce and Penny. She didn't think about the consequences of her actions, and it not only made Bryce snap like a twig, but she finally understood what he's been doing all his time. And she wanted to make up for that as she spoke.

"And Bryce... I owe you an apology, too. I had no idea that you were working so hard to keep your sister happy. And you're right. I was just complaining about being on this train instead of at OshKosh, but you still wanted to get to know me as a friend. I'm sorry for how I treated you... but, we could still play that twenty questions game. That is, if you still want to get to know me."

Taking note of how sincere Tulip's become since his meltdown, Bryce became relieved that she could finally trust him enough to get to know her. On the other hand, though, he's ashamed that it took a meltdown to help her realize her mistake. He didn't want to be that way at all to her, but it happened like that anyway. And he felt bad that he blew up at her the way he did as he spoke.

"Of course I do. But, the truth is, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't want you to agree to it because I hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted to do, and a lot of what I just told you wasn't true. I said what I said because I was angry. But, I want you to know that... that I wasn't angry with you, no matter what I said. I just wanted to get back home, too."

As she heard every word that Bryce said, Tulip became overwhelmed with relief that was quickly replacing the guilt she once had. And because of this, she gave Bryce a smile, knowing now how serious he took everything while doing his best to keep his sister happy, like a big brother should. So, she decided to renew the pact from at the Grid Car as they didn't quite make it official as she held her numbered hand out to him before she spoke.

"So... are we friends?"

As Bryce saw the hand in front of him, he couldn't help but smile, knowing she's willing to at least try to be a team player from now on. He wasn't so sure after the few cars they passed since then, but now, seeing that she's willing to make it right, Bryce reached his hand over to hers before he shook it.

"Yeah. We're friends."

With the pact renewed, the group got back on the focus of their mission. They learned to be a lot better since the first few cars, but they still had a lot of work to do. Who knows how long it'd actually take to get to the engine? Either way, Tulip and Bryce knew how to pass the time as she spoke up to him, realizing that she's never seen anyone like him in Wisconsin.

"So, first question. Where are you from?"

To answer, Bryce gave a soft smile to her before he replied.

"Me? I'm from Chicago."


	5. The Corgi Car

**A/N: Hello. I have been getting reviews lately that have question why Penny was added in there and that it took the story down a couple of points, but I assure you, I know what I'm doing. And I intended to add in a character from Steven Universe: The Movie into this, but there's been a change of plans made in order to keep it canon. Don't worry, though. Maybe it'll happen in a future story. ****In the meantime, there'll be a rare cameo appearance of an old favorite in cartoons, so be sure to read the story in full detail, or you'll miss it. ****Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

**Act I - ****Chapter IV: **The Corgi Car

After defeating the Cat and rescuing One-One, Bryce and Tulip have decided to get to know each other more, each hoping that they'll last long enough to get to the engine and go to their places of interest. The way to go, as far as Bryce was concerned, was a simple game of twenty questions, in which Tulip would ask him a question first and then Bryce would answer back. Then, it'd go the other way around with Bryce asking her a question with Tulip answering him and vice versa. The game was a great way to pass the time and get to know each other. That is, until the one day when Tulip asked the million-dollar question Bryce was afraid of. Of course, it didn't happen so suddenly; the two of them were on a roll up until the music car, a place where various musical instruments, ranging from the piano bridge to a violin, floated seemingly in the vacuum of space. When it was brought up, Bryce had forgotten about what he was trying to hide as he reacted to a tidbit that Tulip told him.

"What? Really? You actually _eat _onions?"

"Yeah. It's not my fault I've got a sophisticated palette."

"More like a bizarre palette."

As the banter earned laughter from the two of them, Penny could see how well they were getting along as she smiled. It was a more pleasant change of pace compared to that one argument in the Beach Car. Sad as she was back then, she wasn't oblivious to their shouting as Bryce hoped she was. Penny couldn't make out what they were saying due to how far she was from the two of them, but she could tell back then it wasn't anything good, and that made her worried about what they were doing. So, to see the two of them get along was a good thing for her. Because it meant one step closer to her new family that Ms. Tabitha worked so hard to give her. Just then, One-One, who was currently being held in her hands, piped up gladly about her smile.

"It's nice to see you happy again, Ms. Penny. It always makes _me _happy."

"Thanks, One-One."

As Penny looked back to the two of them, she took notice of their numbers on their hands. The first she heard about those sort of people from Ms. Tabitha, they're a risk because one can never tell if they're good or bad. That's why she became worried about them at first. And it didn't really help her case of shyness, either, not that she noticed the number on his hand when she first saw him. Whatever the case, Penny's grateful that they turned out to be nice people. Although, One-One couldn't tell what she was thinking as he spoke in his glad voice.

"What are you thinking about, Ms. Penny?"

"Well... I'm just wondering... how do you know if people are good or bad when they have numbers?"

"Why do you ask?"

"When the kitty took you away, they were shouting at each other. It made me really scared... you don't think they're bad people, do you?"

This gave One-One good for thought as he looked at how Tulip and Bryce were enjoying themselves. Seeing oddly nothing to be concerned about, One-One looked back up to Penny before he spoke in his glad and sad voices.

"Well, nobody's perfect. They'll have their ups and downs. But beyond that, they seem fine."

"Worst-case scenario, they'll probably put their lives on the line for you."

This made Penny a bit confused as she'd never heard the expression before as she turned her head a bit sideways. In response, the sad side of One-One replied again to Penny before she found something else to worry about, only to it to be quickly assuaged by the glad side.

"To be clear, that's a good thing."

"But what if I get really scared?"

"You've got nothing to worry about, Ms. Penny. I'd say you're in the right hands."

Hearing One-One's personal opinion, with both sides of him agreeing on their role as her guardians, Penny became more and more relieved she's with people she could trust. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised. Ms. Tabitha had to have checked with him to be sure he isn't one of the bad people that hurt her caretaker. Knowing that she trusted him with her to have a family, Penny became assured that she'd made the right choice. However, little did she know that their peace wouldn't last as Tulip spoke to him.

"Okay, now my turn. Have you ever done anything illegal?"

Before Bryce could answer, he instantly froze up. That one question reminded him of what he'd done prior to getting on the train as flashes of his stealing from the bank and Vincenzo shooting his grappler off of the ledge and causing him to fall played back in his mind. And even worse, it reminded him that he was no better than Tulip to begin with during the first few cars. As a matter of fact, he began to feel more sheepish over the fact that he blew up at her in the Beach Car than before. As the shock was evident on his face, Tulip took notice of it and became curious. He was doing just fine a week ago. To find out what was up, she spoke up, only to earn a high-pitched reaction before he tried to divert her attention.

"Uh, Bryce?"

"No!"

"Huh?"

"Oh. Sorry. The answer was no, to that question, that is. Hey, what's the number on your hand?"

As Bryce asked her that question, Tulip took a look at her hand and became flummoxed to see that her number, now currently "109", still hasn't changed. After what happened with the cat, her number had gone down to that distance while Bryce's was placed at "111". The fact that neither one had changed in a week was beginning to get on her nerves as Tulip grunted before she spoke.

"Still '109.' It's been a week. Why won't you change?"

At that moment, Bryce looked at his own hand to notice that his didn't change, either. Stressful as it was that it didn't change, Bryce found it too soon to say whether it was bad or good. All he knew about the number was that those that have it don't always turn out to be good. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but at very least, it was vital information. Who knows if there are more passengers like them? At that moment, One-One spoke up in his glad voice about Tulip's hand before the sad voice realized a confusing question about his biology.

"Are we stopping to talk to our hands now? Hello, hands!"

"Wait, do I even have hands?"

To answer his question, Penny looked underneath the white sphere and saw only the four spider-like legs on his underbelly before she replied.

"I don't know. I think those are your feet."

"Oh. In that case, hello, feet!"

As One-One spoke gladly about Penny's theory, Tulip grew frustrated over the stunt the cat pulled. She and Bryce would've been much further along by now if that flim-flam feline hadn't deceived them into giving up One-One. Tulip should've listened to Bryce from the beginning, but instead, she had to pick the quickest way off the train. And even then, it turned out that it was all a lie. From then on, Tulip wouldn't let herself be deceived anymore as she spoke.

"That cat wasted time we could've used getting off the train. We've got to keep moving if we're ever gonna find the Conductor. From now on, we're not stopping for anything."

Bryce couldn't agree more about that. For one thing, he didn't want his friends to know about what he did prior to getting on the train. And another thing was in direct correlation with the first thing. The sooner he gets home, the sooner he can help his parents recover from their injuries that incurred expensive medical bills. Still, he needed to be sure that they don't get to think about that as he spoke.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna go about it? We gotta make sure Penny's having fun, too."

As Tulip heard Bryce's statement, she began to think of an idea on how to solve both problems. If they could just get going on it, they'll be able to get to the engine faster that way. At the same time, Penny would be able to stay positive for the remainder of their time on this train. It was a great idea for her to come up with, though it wasn't to discredit his twenty questions game as she got to know Bryce a little better. Regardless, Tulip looked to Bryce with a smile on her face as she spoke.

"Hmm... how about a race?"

And so, it was decided. For Team Tulip, One-One would go with her while Penny would be on Team Bryce. If both members of the team got to the door before the other team, a point would go to them. Those were the terms they agreed to as Penny was now on Bryce's back while One-One was in Tulip's backpack. Of course, they still needed someone to time them as Tulip spoke to One-One while they entered starting positions before she and Bryce spoke up on their positions, urging the glad side of One-One to speak up.

"Alright, One-One, time us. Ready!"

"Ready!"

"Set!"

As Tulip and Bryce looked to each other with competitive glares between them, the silence continued before Bryce looked up to One-One, confused on why he didn't say it before the sad voice obliged.

"Uh... One-One?"

"Oh. Uh, go."

With that, Tulip and Bryce took off like they were running a marathon, inadvertently leaving One-One behind as he fell off of Tulip's backpack before he rolled after them with Bryce and Penny just behind Tulip while One-One went about town rolling on the piano bridge before hopping on a violin and a tambourine.

"Look at me! I'm a musical genius!"

By the time the group got to the door with a slide on the bridge, Bryce and Penny beat Tulip and One-One as the latter just got in her backpack when Tulip got to the door as Bryce spoke.

"Looks like we win this one."

"Aw, what?! Whatever. I'll get you this next car."

"We'll see."

As Tulip, One-One, Bryce, and Penny ran on the bridge with the latter of the group going first as they won, Tulip looked at her number to see if it changed, only to be disappointed that it didn't as she grunted before Bryce opened up the car to see a car crammed full of ducks inside as they exclaimed in surprise. As she saw them in front of her, Penny became excited, recognizing them at least from her alphabet spelling class with Ms. Tabitha. They were her favorite animals because of how silly they were, so it was a pleasant surprise for her as she shouted, confusing Bryce as he looked to her.

"Yay! I like ducks!"

"Wait, you've heard of ducks before?"

However, in that one moment, Tulip took advantage of Bryce's weakness before she pressed on, pushing as many ducks as she could out of the way as she spoke.

"So many ducks!"

"Hey! We didn't time in yet!"

As Bryce gave chase towards Tulip, he and Penny were unaware of one black duck with a white line around his neck peeking out amidst the flock of white ones before he did a comical swam dive to hide. Meanwhile, Tulip cleared away as many ducks as she could before one of them spoke up to her, hoping she'd help with its current problem.

"Can you help me find my normal eyes?"

As an answer, Tulip grabbed it by the neck and tossed it behind her as she replied.

"Sorry, no time!"

As Tulip continued to find a way out, Bryce was catching up as he maneuvered himself carefully to avoid hurting the ducks too much. Right at that point, however, he noticed that Tulip was still in the lead, unaware that Penny was quickly swiped by the black duck before he hopped onto his back in her place as he spoke.

"Don't worry, Penny. I got you."

However, contrary to what he expected, a different person spoke to him before Bryce noticed who he was carrying a black duck on his back, much to his surprise as the duck spoke.

"Never mind me! Faster, daddy! Faster!"

This earned a quickening pace from Bryce before he ran towards Tulip. Right at that moment, Tulip and One-One just go out of the car before noticing that they were the first ones out, which made Tulip happy as she spoke.

"Yeah! That's one point for Team Tulip!"

Right at that point, Bryce was the next to get out of the car, albeit with the black duck on his back before Tulip corrected him.

"Phew! We made it."

"Uh, Bryce, you do know that duck isn't Penny, right?"

As he heard this, Bryce realized that he must've left Penny behind in that duck car, making him growl before grabbing the black duck by the neck as he spoke.

"Where is Penny, you psychopath?!"

To answer his question, Penny peeked out of the door with feathers bursting out onto the floor as she spoke.

"I'm right here!"

Seeing her stick in the pile of ducks, Bryce saw her tiny little hands reaching out before he grabbed them and pulled her out as he looked back to the black duck before he spoke to it while grabbing his throat.

"You are one crazy duck."

"I'm not crazy. I just don't give a darn!"

With that, the duck began hooting wildly, infuriating Bryce as he aimed the black duck like a javelin into the duck car as he shouted before tossing him into the car and closing the door.

"Woo-hoo-hoo! Hoo-Hoo!"

"Ah, shut up!"

With the black duck no longer terrorizing them, Bryce couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu from his encounter with the duck before he spoke.

"Wait, why does that feel so familiar?"

As Tulip looked at the number on her hand, seeing that it hasn't changed, she only put on a scowl as she spoke to Bryce again.

"You can figure it out if you're okay with last place!"

"Aw, come on! Again?! Really?!"

To catch up, Bryce picked up Penny and ran with her to catch up with Tulip just as she opened the car to see a bunch of costumes monsters throwing a party in a sort of mansion. One of them had a hockey mask while another has a demon mask as the group looked around for the door from one place to another. Finally, they took notice of a door in front of them just as a costumed Medusa and an alien stood in front of them while the former spoke as the latter blew a party horn, only to earn Tulip and Bryce's refusal.

"Mash with us!"

"Sorry, no time!"

"Wish we could stay, but we have to go!"

From there, Tulip and Bryce made their way around the crowd as the former slid in the table where the food was, displeasing some of the crowd at the table while Bryce got a drink for him and Penny before they exited the car. As they ran to the next, Tulip noticed the drinks he and Penny had as Bryce gave her one before noticing her confusion as he spoke.

"I'll let you have this one. Me and Penny needed to stay hydrated, anyway."

Of course, that's what Bryce hoped would weaken Tulip enough to where he could get the next point and then some. However, in the next car, they were running in the temple as a giant boulder was barreling right at them. As much as it bothered him, though, he couldn't help but feel this to be familiar as well before he spoke.

"Okay, now you've _gotta _feel this one's familiar."

As they ran, though, Tulip made the mistake of stepping in one of the booby trapped floor panels, causing an arrow to come zip at them before they ducked, causing it to land near a wall where the skeleton was. It would've creeped Penny out if they had the time to stop and look at him. However, she was easily freaked out when it started talking before Bryce replied to it.

"Do you have the time?"

"Eep!"

"No time!"

"You're telling me? I'm dead!"

Right at that moment, the boulder ran over the skeleton, leaving him in pieces as his head was broken off with his hand, foot, and upper body. After which, Tulip and Bryce kept running before they came across a gap with a vine in-between them. Given no other choice, they leapt on the vine and swung on it with Tulip holding on to the bottom of it while Bryce held the base of it. When they got as far as they could without risk of falling into the pit of spikes below them, they let go of the vine and landed on the ground, making a break for the door before they got in through it, entered another door and closed it, hoping the boulder wouldn't get to them as they panted out of exhaustion. Although, not all of the group was tired as Penny had her first adrenaline rush from the boulder as she spoke.

"Whoo! That was fun!"

While Penny giggled, Bryce was amazed that this was the girl who was so shy when they first met. Maybe her being close to them helped her be more active. Beyond that, he knew it was a good idea for her to be hydrated, or she'd be singing a different tune. With that, Bryce looked to Tulip as he spoke.

"Okay... I think we both know this point goes to Team Bryce. Right? I'd say it does."

"Oh, hush, you."

As Tulip looked back at her number, seeing that it still did not change, her frustration only grew more and more as she grunted. With all the cars she went through, the number had to go down a least once. But there was no change, much to her anger as she spoke, making Bryce look to her.

"Ugh! Come on!"

"What's up? It's just a tie."

"It's not about the race. It's about the number. We've been at this for a week, but it hasn't changed once."

"You think it might've been a power shortage?"

"Not likely. It doesn't look like it's powered by anything. Numbers are quantitated. They represent things. But this one just sits there like a dumb number getting dumber every minute that it sits there! This is dumb! I see you..."

As Tulip vented her frustration on her own number, she took notice of a small dog catching a blue frisbee in front of her before she and Bryce took notice of several other dogs doing their usual activities from playing tug of war, to napping, and even chasing their own tails with temples around the whole grassy plains. And apparently, they weren't the first to notice as Penny spoke up while she was being followed by another dog, trying to escape it before she shouted.

"Stop following me!"

As Penny hid behind Bryce's legs from the dog, One-One popped out of the backpack and became just as enamored with the dogs as Penny, although it was on a different standpoint as hers was based on fear.

"Look! More weird, furry ducks."

However, Tulip couldn't care less about that as she wanted to get back home, or at the very least, settle her tiebreaker with Bryce. Since the cat car, she's learned to take others' feelings into consideration. For instance, as much as she tried not to, she ended up hurting both One-One _and _Penny's feelings from her trading the former. So, she had both goals of home and the race in mind as she spoke.

"Help me find the exit, One-One. We gotta win this tiebreaker."

At that moment, however, Tulip, Bryce, One-One, and Penny heard the sound of the horn blown by a dog before the other dogs, as well as the one trying to get to the little girl, began to sit down. Although they didn't know what for, it turned out to be a good reason. Because they then took notice of a small, dirty blonde colored dog wearing a crown on a throne, lifted by four more dogs as support for it as he spoke.

"Salutations, two-legged strangers and loud ball-creature. Welcome to Corginia. I am Atticus, King and United of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. I extend to you my greetings."

As Atticus took a bow on the throne where he stood, the group had no idea what to say. They had no idea that they were in the presence of royalty, much less of a canine kind, so this was a first for them. In Penny's case, though, she's surprised to hear the dogs talk. In her experience, they usually barked, so it made her utterly speechless as she hid behind Bryce's legs further. Regardless, the group tried to introduce themselves with Tulip going first.

"Hi, I'm Tulip. I like... books?"

"And I'm Bryce. Usually for me, family comes first."

At that moment, Bryce began to try to introduce Penny as she slowly peeked her head out, hoping the dogs wouldn't chase after her.

"Oh, and this is Penny. She likes to meet new people, but she's also kinda shy."

At that point, when one of the support dogs looked to see Penny, she decided to hide again, hoping the dogs wouldn't chase her just as Atticus spoke to the group.

"Greetings, Tulip the Literate and Bryce the Guardian. Let me show you my kingdom."

Hearing this, Tulip and Bryce tried to cut to the chase. They didn't have any plans of going on tour, interesting as it was, so they tried to get a good word in to get out of it. However, Atticus would not listen as they spoke.

"Oh! Uh, no! It's okay."

"Yeah, we're actually kind of in a rush to find—"

"And so commences the official Tourginia of Corginia."

Just at that moment when Atticus said his final say in the situation, the dog that blew the horn earlier began blowing on it again. Seeing this happen, Tulip began to get confused about his job, mostly on whether or not it's on purpose.

"Does he do that a lot?"

"Oh, yes. Every chance he gets."

* * *

After the dog blew on the horn again one more time, albeit with a short blow this time, Tulip, Bryce, One-One, and Penny ended up taking the tour Atticus had in mind. Although One-One was eager to play with the dogs, Penny was still timid around them because they seem like they were trying to get to her so they could bite her. Of course, Penny was still on top of Bryce's back at the moment, and Tulip happened to be near her, too, so that meant they were in the same boat. As a result, Tulip had to think of a way to shake them off of them as she and Bryce spoke.

"Nope! No, no, no, no, no! Down, down!"

"Hey, hey! Back up!"

Fortunately, Tulip found the answer in the form of a rope used for tug of war as she picked it up and threw it behind her as she spoke.

"Go get it!"

As the dogs went away from the group, Bryce could see that Penny was still nervous from the dogs trying to get onto him as he tried to soothe her with a pat on her head. He didn't think she'd be this scared of dogs, though admittedly, it's not hard to see why. Even so, he tried to check in with her as he spoke to her, earning her answer as Atticus spoke up to her.

"Hey, you holding up, Penny?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Please excuse us, young Penny. We just get very excited when someone new comes at the door."

Unfortunately, the fact that he was able to talk, made her more unnerved as she hid her head behind Bryce, who then tried to remind Atticus about her situation when he became confused about her behavior.

"Yeah, she's still trying to get used to you guys."

"Oh, I see."

Nevertheless, they continued to look at the majesty of Corginia as they noticed some of the Corgis by food and water dispensers, eating out of metal bowls that held their sustenance. Next, they took notice of a few machines with a brush, although they learned it was actually meant for rubbing their bellies as Tulip and Bryce spoke.

"Food dispensers, belly rub machines, gift of speech. You guys are doing pretty well for yourselves."

"Yeah, maybe a little too well."

Just then, the group took notice of One-One being bounced around like the ball he is while he spoke in his glad voice.

"Wow! This is my first time being nauseous!"

As the crowd of dogs went by, Penny became more than nervous as she whimpered, much to Bryce's worry. The while point of Tulip's idea was to keep her happy, not like this. Being around here as long as they have seemed to be disrupting that purpose. And Bryce didn't want it to go any longer as he spoke to Atticus.

"Okay, so, technically speaking, how many dogs are there in Corginia?"

"We're 400 strong and 399 cute. Just don't tell that to Ugly Irwin."

"Who's Ugly Irwin?"

To answer, Atticus pointed to a mountain where a Golden Retriever was standing with the sun glistening behind him, making Bryce confused at this as he didn't appear ugly as far as he was concerned. However, Atticus was the one to shudder at him before he spoke.

"Moving on, can I interest you on a sunbeam to lie in?"

"Uh, no thanks. We really need to get back to the exit, and the tiebreaker."

As Bryce said that, however, Tulip began to realize that someone was missing as he was seen riding with the other dogs not too long ago.

"Wait. One-One?"

Fortunately, One-One was with one of the dogs lying in the sunbeam. Equally unfortunately, though, his sad side was giving the dog a sad vision.

"The sun's gonna burn out one day. Enjoy this while you can."

As the dog cautiously backed away with a whimper, Bryce spoke up as he and the group found One-One before Tulip chimed in as she inquired of Atticus about the exit.

"There you are. You can't just run off, you know."

"No more sunbeams. No more distracting, but admittedly fun dog stuff. It's exit time. Where is it?"

"Across the great river and through the twisting woods of mystery, you shall find the unsolvable puzzle door."

Taking in as little of Atticus' answer as she could, mostly because she wanted to get back home, Tulip looked to Bryce before she spoke.

"Water, woods, door. Got it! Thanks, king dog. Bye! This one's a tiebreaker, Bryce. I'm gonna win this."

"Pfft! Over my dead body!"

At that moment, however, Atticus took offense to the way Tulip addressed him and tried to speak to her, hoping that she'd listen to reason.

"It's Atticus, and I must urge you to wait."

However, waiting wasn't the plan the group had in mind as Tulip and Bryce spoke up before the glad voice of One-One.

"One-One, time us."

"Ready!"

"Set!"

Just before they could start, however, the ground began to shake like an earthquake, followed by the fleeing of countless Corgis from the other direction. This made Penny confused, although most relieved, that the dogs didn't try to go after her. However, as she looked where Tulip, One-One, and Bryce looked, she found out for herself it was due to something frightening in front of her in the form of a giant shadow monster, making her gasp as she hid behind Bryce before One-One's glad side found the positive on this.

"Yay! Shadow puppets! Look! I can make an eagle!"

As much as he tried, however, he had no success in doing so with his two stubs. Beside that, Tulip and Bryce were mostly concerned about the creature in front of them as she spoke.

"What is that thing?"

"It is... the monster."

Just then, the water began to flood most of the grassy plains by their buildings, toppling over a statue as it drew near to them before Atticus spoke.

"Quick, everyone! To the temple!"

In a huff, Bryce took off with Penny while Tulip picked up One-One and ran to the doggy door, where they hid in the safety of the temple before Penny buried her head deeper into Bryce's Jean jacket before he spoke to Atticus before he, Bryce, and Tulip spoke in unison.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?!"

"I will admit, there are some things I haven't told you about Corginia."

"Like why there's a giant shadow monster?!"

"Yes. Patience, you two."

With how much of a rush they're in to get back home, however, Tulip was against that idea as she spoke up to Atticus, only to hear his rebuttal.

"Patience? We'll never get to the Conductor by just waiting around. Let's band together and attack the monster."

"Impossible. Ever since it appeared, the water has risen and ruined our city. If we try to cross the harrowing two-foot deep depths, we would surely drown."

As Penny heard this, she took notice of the Corgis around her being sad as they whimpered. In that moment, she began to feel less scared of them and more sympathetic of them. She'd hate to see anyone sad. She's seen Ms. Tabitha like that before, and Penny didn't feel right about that around them being that way either as she spoke prior to Atticus, much to Bryce's notice as he looked over to her, taking a guess at how bad things turned out to be.

"Oh, no..."

"Everything is going paws up around here! If you'll excuse the language."

"No need on my account. It means what it means. And it sounds like it means things weren't easy for you."

"Quite right, Bryce."

At that moment, One-One has an idea as his glad and sad halves divided themselves before the happier side scurried on outside, much to Tulip's worry as she spoke.

"Let me see if it's gone yet."

"One-One, be careful."

As Tulip grunted, Sad One decided to take the opportunity to act. For him, it's unlikely that he'd come back, so he felt it best to prepare as he got a pen left over in the ground and tried to write something on it as he spoke, catching Atticus' attention.

"Looks like I'll have to start writing his obituary."

"Awfully morbid little thing, aren't you?"

"Yes."

However, there wasn't enough time for that as Glad One peeked through the doggy door as it shrieked, catching the group's concern as Tulip spoke to him.

"Ahh!"

"Ah! What is it, One-One?"

"It's gone! I'm excited! Ahh!"

As Tulip gave a groan, Bryce began to consider how Penny must be feeling right now. With all that's happening, she must be terrified, right now. This situation wasn't what Bryce had in mind at all, and it was what he was trying to avoid in the first place. To be sure that she doesn't become overly terrified, Bryce knew what to do as Atticus spoke.

"Let us be on our way."

"Hold on, Atticus. I gotta do this, first."

With that, Bryce lifted Penny off of his back before she set her on the floor as she looked up to him out of concern.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"Penny, we just need you to wait in here until the monster's gone."

"But are you gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry. We got this in the bag."

With that, Tulip, Bryce, and One-One began walking out of the doggy door while Atticus stayed behind. It wasn't quite clear to Penny why he'd stay as he did suggest to get going. Just then, Tulip came back to solve the dilemma as she spoke to Atticus.

"Didn't you want to go outside?"

"Yes."

"Outside?"

"No."

"Outside?"

"Well..."

"Outside?"

"Maybe."

"Come on. Wanna go outside right now? You wanna do it? Wanna go outside?"

"Yes. I wanna go outside."

As Atticus went outside, Penny took a look at the dogs around her. From what she could gather, they were extremely saddened about the disaster that struck them. She wanted to do anything she could to make them feel better, but she couldn't think of one. As the dogs whimpered in gear from the monsters outside, Penny noticed a small grey Corgi puppy walking to her before laying on her lap as it whimpered. Seeing them like this made her realize that they weren't nearly as threatening as she made them out to be. They were just like her... scared. And Penny didn't quite like the way things looked at this point.

If that monster was truly scary, it's no wonder they're hiding. And if that's the case, who knows what it could do to Bryce and Tulip? What if it's the same cockroach monster that attacked them? Scared as she was to think about that, Penny was even more scared of what could happen to them. This made her remember what the dad side of One-One said to her before in the music car. This made her look to the doggy door as she tried to determine if she's really willing to do this.

* * *

While Penny tried to make a decision, Tulip and Bryce were overseeing the damage the flash flood had caused as Atticus spoke up.

"One week ago, that was the dog-partment of water and power. Now it's just the dog-partment of water and water."

This made Tulip and Bryce speak up as they found a correlation in a week ago. It also happened to be when their numbers last changed. If there was a connection to this, that'd be literally etched on their hands.

"A week ago? That's how long it's been since our numbers changed."

"Yeah, Tulip. Maybe it's related to our numbers somehow."

"Yeah! And maybe if we stop it and reach the exit door, it'll help us get off the train."

The sad part of One-One begged to differ as he spoke before the Glad side interjected.

"That's a lot of maybes."

"Maybes are maybe my favorite maybe. Maybe."

With that, Tulip began to get in a starting position along with Bryce as she spoke to One-One.

"One-One, time is. We're going in."

Before they could start, however, Atticus stepped in and tried to warn them against doing it by themselves. After all, he did have more knowledge about the monster than the two of them, as far as he knew. So, he felt wisdom should be lended to them as he spoke.

"Wait. You'll need my help if you intend to leave. The exit is blocked by the unsolvable puzzle door, and it's too dangerous to rush in alone."

Needless to say, Bryce and Tulip had a different take on that. They had their own experience with this train, going through as many cars as they have. So, they felt it best to tell him about that much as they spoke.

"You can relax, Atticus. Nothing's unsolvable, least of all that door."

"Bryce is right. How dangerous could it be? We've faced a bunch of weird stuff on this train."

In that moment, One-One began to add in examples of such as his Glad and sad sides spoke up.

"Some were scary, but others were dancy."

"Dancing is scary."

"I assure you, the monster does not dance. Tulip, Bryce, I don't usually beg, unless it's for a tasty, tasty treat, but it seems we have overlapping problems. Will you take me with you, so that I may save Corginia?"

This gave Tulip and Bryce food for thought. Atticus is right about that much. And as far as they could tell so far, they did seem to be getting nowhere with their number. At this point, it might be the only option to move on. Just then, in what Bryce considered to be an unexpected turn of events, Penny spoke up from afar as she got out the doggy door.

"Can I help too?"

Upon seeing her, Bryce was becoming worried. Was she outside because of the dogs scaring her? Or was she getting worried about them? Either way, the fact she was outside was a great factor for him to worry about if he wanted her to be happy. So, he tried to convince her to stay inside as he spoke.

"Penny, I told you to wait inside."

"But I wanna help."

"Listen, Penny, we don't know if it's the same monster that almost—"

Despite Bryce's attempts to help her see reason, Penny still persisted as she began to put on a sour look of determination.

"I wanna help!"

"Penny, for the last time, it's too dangerous for you to—"

"I wanna help!"

As Penny raised her voice at Bryce, he was caught by surprise. Did Ms. Tabitha have to put up with this in her time looking after her? Although, as he thought about this, Bryce realized that the better question to ask was how much he knew Penny. He's never seen her that determined in any of their time in the car. And there's obviously no point trying to change her mind. So, like Tulip would with Atticus, Bryce was forced to begrudgingly let Penny help as they spoke.

"Argh, fine! As long as you don't slow us down."

"Okay. But just be careful, alright?"

With that, Penny hopped onto Bryce's back before she climbed up to his shoulders for her legs to rest on while Atticus looked to the river and spoke, much to Tulip's confusion on his statement.

"Excellent. I must warn you, however, we Corgis are a proud people, and we hate being picked up."

"Why would you need to warn us about that?"

Later, Tulip found out why as Corgis turned out to be a little shorter than the rivers in Corginia. If Atticus just went by himself, he'd surely drown, What with his short legs. So, Tulip had to resort to this unfortunate alternative. And like Atticus said, he did not like being picked up at all as he squirmed in her arms.

"Stop! Oh, can you stop doing that?! Stop fiddling! Two seconds!"

* * *

Of course, that was just one inconvenience they had to face. For the rest of the journey, they seemed to handle it pretty well as Atticus was seen running up to the mountain before occasionally stopping to let Tulip, Bryce, Penny, and One-One catch up. However, for a bizarre reason, that ended up under a small cloud which gave off snow. It would've been enjoyable if it were larger for the group, but Atticus seemed into it as he stuck his tongue out to let a snowflake fall on his long tongue. Next, while Atticus stopped to roll on the floor with his back, One-One tried to join in, earning a small giggle from Penny at how funny the latter was being. Then came another strange phenomenon as the sun was moving back and forth, never staying in one direction, which affected the shade Tulip and Bryce had under the tree. Nevertheless, they persisted in going up the mountain until they all climbed up to see a majestic waterfall along its edges, as well as Tulip and Bryce's goal as they spoke.

"It's the door!"

"And about time, too."

As the group walked towards it, though, Penny still had one thing to consider. She knew what scared the Corgis more than they scared her, and Penny wanted to remind everyone about that as she spoke up.

"But what about the—?"

Before she could finish her question, a large shadow came up on the mountain by surprise, making Penny panic before Tulip spoke.

"Monster!"

"Look out!"

In a quick rush, the group hid behind a giant rock to take cover before they panted their breaths. In keeping their distance, they could get a closer look at it and figure out what its weaknesses are without the threat of being eaten, or worse. With that, Tulip and Bryce, as well as a cautious Penny, looked through the rock to see the shadow monster, only to realize it wasn't exactly a monster as Tulip spoke.

"Wait."

Upon closer inspection, the shadow was actually enlarged from where a glowing green orb was shining. And above that orb was a simple, small spider. As Tulip and Bryce walked over to it, they confirmed it for themselves as Penny saw the little arachnid, and became a little relieved it wasn't anything scary as she sighed and spoke in relief before Tulip got its small web on her finger and held it in front of her.

"Phew! That was close."

"Aw, it's just a little spider, building a little spider web."

However, Atticus did not believe in that for a minute. Instinctively, he jumped at the little creature and chomped on it, making Tulip surprised and disgusted as she gagged while Bryce and One-One laughed at this event while Atticus chowed down on it.

"We're grossed out, right, Ms. Tulip?"

"We've destroyed the monster. I thought victory would taste less musty."

However, Atticus looked to the water and saw that the river was still flowing as big as ever. It was the source of the flash floods because of the excess of water going into their water. With the alleged monster defeated, he would've thought that problem would be fixed in an instant. However, that did not appear to be the case as he spoke to Tulip and Bryce as the latter replied before the former.

"Hmm. I also thought the water level would go down."

"Yeah. That is weird..."

"Oh! Maybe my number—"

As Tulip looked at the number, however, she still found that it hasn't changed one bit. She'd been patient with that up to this point. But now, Tulip's become more and more convinced that she's finally under her rights to begin to flip out about it as she spoke.

"Of course. Yeah, of course nothing happens! No water, no number, no monster! Correlation isn't causation, I know that. Oh, I want some answers for the first clue we've gotten this whole time. No! Not allowed!"

As Tulip began to vent her frustrations like this, the atmosphere started to turn so thick, one could cut it with a knife. But Bryce knew it's not her fault. She's tried everything she could to get through this logically, but even that method has been thrown out the window. And seeing her act like this, unlike last time at the Beach Car, Bryce started to feel sorry for her. Even One-One's glad side was beginning to feel bad for her as he spoke while Tulip attempted to rub the number off.

"Ms. Tulip..."

"We could travel for years on this ridiculous train and never escape! Why is this thing on my hand?!"

With no answer to her questions, Tulip began to groan as she took her backpack off and entered a fetal position with the backpack on her lap. Seeing her in such a sad state, Bryce wanted to try to help her, but he's not sure how Penny would do in a situation like this. She is little, after all. And he couldn't just leave her with Atticus; she's still not used to him yet. For the moment, the best the group could do was look to each other before Bryce decided to try to help as he set Penny down so he doesn't accidentally smush her on the rock or hurt her back. However, Atticus seemed to be thinking ahead as he went over to Tulip as she spoke.

"It's not fair. We're going as fast as we can on this train, but we're getting nowhere."

"Just because you can't figure things out immediately doesn't mean it won't happen eventually."

"Yeah. But it feels like every time I find something logical about this train, it's thrown back at me and I'm stuck without answers."

"We can't always force progress, Tulip. After all, I didn't have a solution to Corginia's problems until you showed up. You helped me, Tulip."

As Atticus laid on his back while he spoke with her, Tulip could tell that he was being sincere. He always was like that, but still, it meant a lot to her that he's making an effort to help her. As her gratefulness began to flourish, she gave a soft smile to Atticus as she spoke.

"Thanks, Atticus."

"Now, I'm not just lying on my back for nothing."

Seeing what he wanted, Tulip decided to indulge him to help him with that much as she smiled and gave him a soft rub on the belly.

"Aw, come here."

While she did that, though, Bryce began to realize something suspicious. What they found was a little spider after a hard trek up the mountain. It couldn't have been this easy. And for that matter, where did that orb come from? Those were the pieces Bryce tried to piece together as he spoke before Tulip realized the same thing.

"Hold on. How could a spider do that much damage to Corginia? It doesn't make any sense."

"Wait. Maybe you're right. The shadow came from that weird orb, but... what's that weird orb for?"

As if to answer, they heard a whoosh on the farthest part of the forest. That's not a sound regularly heard in Corginia, or anywhere, as far as Tulip and Bryce was concerned. To determine what it was, they went through the bushes on the other side of the river before peeking through the bushes. What they found on the other side was truly a shock. They found countless green panels exposing wires that dangled down for most of them and some of them still had a glowing green orb inside them. But even that wasn't the cherry on top. What truly horrified them was the sight of a metal octopus-like creature with metallic hands and along with it, a mysterious figure wrapped in a dark blue cloak as Penny hid herself by hiding her head under Bryce's shoulder as she spoke before Atticus.

"What is that?"

"It is the _real_ monster."

To verify it, the monster began to extend one of its hands into claws which then acted as though it was pressing numbers on a keypad, evident by glowing green squares. Not long after, a green panel opened up with a globe inside before it pulled out the green orb and set it beside the others that were pulled out, causing the tree next to them to disappear. After which, the figure spoke to the monster in a disguised feminine voice about the stockpile its collected.

"We're almost done with this place, but it's not nearly enough. We'll have to search in the other cars after this."

As Bryce heard this conversation, he couldn't help but wonder who that was. Although, he is certain that the monster and the figure seem to be in league. Whatever the case, Bryce began to suspect who it was beside it. They do seem to know what the orbs can do, apart from the group now. And Bryce and Tulip began to offer what they knew as Penny asked about the situation.

"What's going on? Who are they?"

"I don't know, Penny. It might be a theory, but if the Conductor's at the engine, he's got to have people in trains that look after passengers, right? Maybe they're the stewards..."

"And those orbs must have something to do with the environment. It would explain how there's a waterfall at the mountain."

As the monster continued dismantling the orbs, Atticus and One-One's Dad voice had different ways to go about it as Penny looked closely at the scene along with Bryce and Tulip as the latter of the two spoke up after them.

"We should attack."

"We'll never make it."

"Maybe we can escape through the unsolvable puzzle door. How do I unlock it?"

"First, you put your paw on the handle."

"Okay."

"Then you turn it."

"Alright."

Upon hearing this out loud, Bryce and Tulip began to realize something. They expected it to be difficult, but it turned out to be just like any other door, let alone the ones that they used to get through the train to begin with. This earned a glance towards Atticus as Bryce and Tulip spoke.

"Are you kidding us right now?"

"That's how all doors open."

"My people have been working on this technology for decades."

Just then, One-One's glad voice had an idea to reason with them. Whatever's going on, he knew they must have a reason for what they're doing. And he was determined to find out what, much to Tulip's concern.

"Let's just talk to them."

"No!"

"Hello-Oh!"

The moment One-One tried to talk to them, Tulip picked him back up to keep them from finding them. Not that it worked as the figure turned to them, revealed to have a black electronic helmet that had a red line as a face. And it seemed to move according to the voice as she gasped before the monster, now shown to have a white mask with glowing blue fire as its eyes, reacted with two guns moving out of its eyeballs and began firing on auto, forcing the group to move behind the rock as the monster fired rapidly at them while the figure spoke in a distorted voice.

"Show yourselves!"

As the group came under heavy fire, Bryce dig into his backpack and got out the cubes sword he'd made in the Grid Car as Tulip held onto Penny to provide cover while Atticus growled before charging towards them, much to the group's worry as Tulip and Bryce spoke.

"No!"

"Atticus, wait!"

Despite their pleas, Atticus did not listen to the as he ran towards the figure and the monster while shouting.

"Corginia!"

When he got close enough to them, however, Atticus was only swatted away to the mountain wall where he fell next to the green orb that laid there and the green panel that is now robbed of it, much to Tulip and Bryce's horror as they shouted in unison.

"Atticus!"

Right at that moment, however, the figure and the monster turned to see them before the former looked through the mask to see the world in red while the white squares identified the passengers by their numbers before their pictures were shown on her mask. First, it showed Tulip Olsen and her current number before showing Bryce Gideon and his number. For whatever reason, the latter made her more furious as she tensed her fists before the mask sent a signal to the monster in the form of beeping before it went after Tulip, causing her to run while Bryce tried to distract it. However, the monster only swatted him to the ground as it then caught up to Tulip just as she would've reached the door, tripped her and loomed over as she groaned while it spoke.

"Return to your seat."

Seeing her in danger, Bryce tried to help her as he shouted.

"Tulip! I'm coming!"

Before he could get to her, however, the figure shot out bolos from her wrist, causing him to trip up before the figure walked over to him as she spoke through the mask.

"What makes you think you deserve to go back home? You called your friend a spoiled, untrustworthy brat, but how are you any better?"

As the figure pressed her foot onto his chest, making him groan, Bryce became appalled. How does she know what he's done back home? And how does she know his name? Those were the questions he tried to find the answer to as he spoke.

"I don't know... what you're talking about!"

"You will..."

With that, the figure began to crush Bryce's wrist which held his sword with her other foot, making him scream, much to Penny's horror as she noticed that both Bryce and Tulip were in danger. With what's happening around her being so sudden and quick, Penny was getting too scared to think of what to do to save them. How could she save them from those monsters? Then, she remembered what Tulip said as she noticed the orb next to Atticus where he was swatted to. She said it had something to do with the environment. It would be a good plan to test out that theory, if it weren't for the monster that can shoot at her from far away. And to make the situation more difficult, the figure seemed to catch on to what Atticus was going as he tried putting the glowing orb that was ripped out back in place from the stockpile. As Penny thought about this, she took notice of the figure getting out a green electric whip and used it to whap Atticus away and causing him to drop the orb, causing it to roll on the floor as Penny heard the figure speak to Atticus and then Bryce as she loomed closer to him.

"Don't even think about it, Fido. And as for you... You think you're better than your friends, but you have no clue how wrong you are. I know what you've done, and I know you can't keep that a secret forever. They'll find out, and when they do, they'll abandon you."

As Penny heard this, she would've become suspicious if it weren't for Bryce being in danger. As the figure crushed his arm, Penny looked back to Atticus who tried getting back up. At this point, Penny became more desperate than she'd ever been, if at all, to save Bryce the way he saved her. And so, acting on hat impulse, Penny moved from the rock and ran towards Atticus, much to Bryce's worry for her as he saw her run to Atticus.

"Penny...!"

Hearing him call for her, the figure became confused before she looked just in time to see the girl pick up the orb, making her gasp as she figured out from there what she intended to do.

"No! Put that down!"

Immediately, the figure ran over to her, making Penny worried as she tried to reach the panel near the stockpile as she realized she was too small to put it on standing up. However, Atticus took notice of what she was trying to do, as well as the figure aiming to attack her before he growled at her and rushed the figure, forcing her to use her arms to block him, only for his teeth to bite into the metal gauntlet she had on her wrist as she grunted, trying to get him off while giving Penny the time she needed. Taking advantage of the chance Atticus is giving her, Penny tried reaching for the panel standing on her toes, barely reaching the panel as she pushed it in with a grunt, causing the waterfall to disappear and giving Tulip the opportunity she needed as the monster looked away before Tulip tried to escape via the door as she turned the handle and opened it, only to bash the door on its mask, causing it to lift open before it showed nothing but blue fire over the guns, as well as gears that made up the structure of its face before it clamped back down as Tulip ran away from it. Once the monster recovered, it used one of its arms to trip Tulip, causing her to drop her backpack as she fell to the floor before it began pulling her away just as One-One popped out and spoke in his Glad voice to the monster.

"You're awfully shooty today. Somebody needs to spend some time in the Monster Dance Car."

With that, One-One began to dance in a cute way before the monster stood up and let go of Tulip, confusing her before it made a break out of the car and climbed away before the figure took notice of it and growled just as she got Atticus removed from her gauntlet. At that moment, Bryce was able to stand up despite the pressure the figure dealt to him on his chest and arm, though he's using the said to help him up as he spoke, beginning to understand how she knew about him. It's always a conductor's business to make sure they have their names to keep records to make sure they're reliable in his experience. So, he had to know.

"Who... are you?! The Conductor?!"

The figure only glared at him as she spoke.

"Not even close..."

With that, the figure made another beeping signal to call the monster back as it returned and caused Tulip to back up before the figure made a break for the door next as she shoved Bryce away before turning back to him as she spoke.

"Consider yourself lucky. That's the worst I can do for you, today."

In that moment, the figure allowed herself to be wrapped in one of its metal tentacles before it went off with her, leaving the group bruised, surprised, and in wonder about what had occurred. Although they had a lot of questions to process, One-One still felt it a relief that they survived, although he spoke with his sad voice.

"Ah, you're okay. I'll just keep your obituary on file, then."

Right at that moment, as Bryce went to Tulip to see how she was holding up, he noticed that she wasn't moving since the monster escaped with the figure before he spoke.

"Hey, Tulip. You alright?"

As luck would have it, her number was actually starting to change as it was randomly spinning. Soon enough, it stopped on "101" as the final number after the journey before she spoke, earning One-One's glad reply.

"My number's changed."

"Yay! What does that mean?"

"I don't know. And I think that's okay for now."

Bryce, having seen the change on her hand, decided to take a look at his, only to find it still hasn't changed. This threw him off for a loop. Along with how this figure somehow knew about him, Bryce was beginning to get more worried than he's ever been about his parents. And to make matters worse, Tulip took notice of that as she spoke to him.

"How come your number didn't change?"

"I-I don't know..."

Just then, Penny, still overcome with adrenaline from how she outsmarted the figure and placed the orb back on the panel, shouted from a far distance as she ran to him alongside Atticus.

"Bryce! Did you see that?! I found that orb, saved Corginia!"

"It's true. Your little child has stopped the water level from riding while I dealt with the interloper. A truly brave soul, indeed."

As Penny smiled from his complement, she began to take notice of Bryce's worry as she spoke.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

For Bryce, everything was wrong. With his secret under threat of being revealed, Bryce had to think of a way to keep them from finding out. The figure was right about what could happen if they did find out, and that's why he can't let it happen. But he can't do that if he couldn't think clearly about it. So, he tried to take a deep breath as hard as he could before he looked to where the nasty duo escaped before he spoke.

"I think so. Just rattled, is all. But... I don't think we'll see the last of them anytime soon."

**A/N: Hello. I know what you're wondering. Is that figure the Conductor? Well, like she told Bryce, she isn't, though I won't tell you who it is. For now, let's just say that she is the living embodiment of the consequence of Bryce's lying to the group. I'll leave it to you to come up with those theories on who it could be. Also, did you happen to notice the cameo as Tulip, Bryce, Penny, and One-One traveled through the cars? If not, the cameo was Daffy Duck in the Cross-Eyed Duck Car. Surprise!**


	6. The Crystal Car

**A/N: Hello, everyone. :) Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was the hardest I've worked on so far because of the songs added in as accompaniment. Plus, it seemed like a good opportunity to get the relationship between Tulip and Bryce blooming. Also, the credits for the songs go to their designated artists for this. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Act I - ****Chapter V: **The Crystal Car

Ever since the incident involving the mysterious figure and the monster that attacked Corginia, Bryce was having trouble thinking clearly as much as he tried to. He couldn't tell how the figure knew about his past, but it's already made him scared to death, though he tried to hide it as best he could around his friends. If his secret ever got out, Bryce would end up being abandoned by Tulip, One-One, and Atticus. It's bad enough by itself, but as far as Penny is concerned, it would devastate her to the core. He didn't want to break the little girl's heart after all that work to keep his promise to her. But it was getting more and more difficult to avoid that outcome. He's lucky that no one seemed to be looking into his backpack for all that time they had, but it's only a matter of time until they do. And when that happens, Bryce would have no chance.

Of course, unfortunately, Bryce didn't have the necessary equipment to lock his backpack, assuming it was possible in the first place. The most he could do to keep that a secret was to explain that his backpack was actually the first one he's ever had in his life as a gift from his parents from then until now. It seemed to have worked for the moment, as no one seemed interested in the backpack anymore and focused on getting to the engine. Although, Atticus was mainly focused on finding the monster, but Bryce would think twice about seeking after it. Because he knew it'd lead him straight to _her. _As much as he wanted to know how the figure knew his secret, Bryce was afraid she'd expose him for who he is: a criminal who did the wrong thing to save his parents. Rather than go through that scenario, Bryce decided to proceed through the engine with the others as planned, hoping that him going along with it would help hide his conflict before it became too noticeable.

During this struggle, Bryce, Tulip, Penny, One-One, and Atticus were driving on mopeds (green for Tulip, One-One, and Atticus, and blue for Bryce and Penny) up the road in a beautiful Italian setting by now. With the sun setting on the mountains, it was almost as if they were in Italy itself. The sights were really amazing to say the least. Of course, it wasn't without its bizarre details. For instance, Nancy, the woman who noticed the group coming by the door, happened to be a walking rose as she went out of her house and spoke to the group.

"The door unlocked a few minutes ago."

Hearing this news, Tulip became overjoyed to hear about it as she gasped before walking towards Nancy and placing one kiss on each side of her "face" while she held her hands. Since the group got there, Nancy had been looking after them until the door could open. During that time, she was also making pasta for her restaurant. It was their input that helped her pasta improve, mainly because its unknown whether or not she had any taste buds. Regardless, Tulip wanted to leave Nancy on good terms as she spoke.

"We'll miss you, Nancy. We know your restaurant will be a big success. You've come a long way in your pasta-making."

* * *

With that, the group made their exit from the car as they said goodbye to Nancy before they closed the door. Once they did, Tulip took a look at her number, seeing that it hasn't changed at all as it remained in "101". Seeing this, Tulip began to wonder if Bryce had any development of his own. It's been a mystery to her as to why it didn't change in Corginia while hers did. Hopefully, there's been a change to that as Tulip spoke to him.

"Hey, Bryce. Did your number change yet?"

As an answer, Bryce showed Tulip his own number while taking a look at it himself. Regrettably, there'd been no change to his own, either as he spoke.

"No such luck."

Hearing Bryce's unfortunate answer, Tulip got out her notebook, writing down the words "Straight-Up Italy Car" and piecing together what's happened since they boarded and left the car before Atticus interjected.

"Okay. So let's break down the Straight-Up Italy car."

"I thought we agreed to call it the Mediterranean Republic Car."

"There are at least two things that happened in there that correspond to what happened in Corginia. We helped someone, Nancy. And we fought someone, the mean grandmother stealing coins from the fountain. But there was no change to our numbers. See, if you look at the logic tree I've drawn—"

As Tulip showed the group the logic tree on her notebook, One-One took a fascination to it as he spoke in his Glad voice.

"Oh, I like how you use little circles in your I's instead of dots."

Bryce, on the other hand, felt as though that Tulip was thinking no more clearly than he was, contrary to the logic tree. Since her number got down, she's been working on a hypothesis to determine what made her number go down, along with the list of cars that they'd gone through since her start of the journey. She believed that if they met someone in the car who needed help, like Nancy, and fought the obstacle in the car, mainly that mean old grandmother stealing coins from the fountain, then it should trigger a change in the numbers, because that's the closest Tulip ever had in progress. So far, though, after that, they haven't gotten any luck in proving her hypothesis to be correct. And the fact that Bryce's own number didn't go down at the Corgi Car definitely stumped her some. Nonetheless, she still persisted in it, much to Bryce's confusion as he spoke.

"Tulip, I understand what you're trying to do, but things aren't that simple. I mean, my number didn't change when we fought that monster."

"I know. I'm still trying to figure that out. But don't worry. I will."

As Tulip walked to the door with the group following, Penny was reminded of what the mysterious figure said to Bryce when he was fighting her. She told him it'd they knew his secret, he'd be abandoned. Unfortunately for him, Penny was around to hear that during that altercation. Since then, it's made her curious about what kind of secret would drive such a wedge between them. To find out, she proceeded to ask Bryce.

"Hey, Bryce. What secret was that stranger talking about?"

The instant Bryce heard this, he stopped just behind Tulip like he was frozen in time before turning to Penny. He was beginning to feel like he's being interrogated, as if someone peered into his soul and found him unworthy. Worst of all, the one to ask was his adopted sister. Afraid she'd be the first to find out, Bryce tried to answer without appearing as nervous as he is.

"What are you talking about?"

"When you were fighting, she said that if we knew your secret, you'd be all alone."

Hearing this, Bryce looked behind him to see if Tulip, One-One, or Atticus have heard her question. Fortunately, they didn't appear to as they were headed to the door before looking to her. He didn't quite know on the spot what to tell her while avoiding the truth about what he did prior to getting on the train. However, the figure that said this to him was more or less a stranger to him as she was to Penny. This made him remember the usual rhyme about them before he spoke to her, having formulated an explanation about it.

"Look, I don't know what she was talking about, and I have no idea how she knows me, but maybe that's the point. Maybe she was just trying to mess with my head. I don't know. She's just a stranger, as far as I do know."

Hearing the answer, Penny recalled how stressed Bryce looked even after they'd gone. He was out of sorts for a moment, but then he was able to calm down and take a breather. Maybe that was the point of the attack. At least it seemed like it, taking in the pieces of this puzzle, anyway. So, to her, this answer was understandable as she replied while Bryce picked her up and rode on his shoulders again.

"Oh. Okay."

From there, Bryce found relief that Penny didn't question it further. If she had, the situation would've escalated from bad to worse. For now, he's just lucky that Penny didn't look behind her and go for the backpack, though it shouldn't surprise him. It probably would've been too heavy for her to try without risk of falling off of his back. And so, Bryce was able to press on with the group as Tulip opened the door and bore witness to a setting comprised entirely of crystals as the trees were all reflective and pointy in dark purple, pink, yellow, and orange colors with the "rocky" mountains being a light shade of violet, making her and the group impressed as they spoke in unison before Tulip went back to business.

"Wow..."

"Anyway, my number—"

Before Tulip could continue, Atticus stepped towards Tulip as Bryce groaned while setting Penny down to play with One-One as the latter spoke to her before Atticus.

"Come on! You're still going on about that around this?"

"I still didn't figure out how your number couldn't change, Bryce. I just gotta figure this out..."

"May I suggest you give yourself more moments of repose in solving the mystery of your numbers? Perhaps if you sleep on it, the answer will come to you."

"Guys, I can crack this! I just have to go about it using the scientific method. Interesting bit of Tulip Trivia: I competed in North Middle-Branch Area Middle School's Scientific Odyssey trials. My team even took home the award for 'Most Hypothetically Proven Hypothesis.'"

At that moment, Atticus took notice of how crazy One-One was becoming as Penny was having difficulty grabbing him as the robot appeared to go crazy as she groaned. Seeing this was enough to develop concerns for One-One as he wasn't usually this loopy before he spoke to Tulip again.

"Stay still, One-One! I can't get you!"

"At the very least, give One-One a break from it. Your logic tree's had him more skittish than a squirrel in a Corgi Sock-Hop. Even Penny's having trouble getting through to him."

To prove his point, Bryce took notice of One-One rolling around crazily as Penny chased him. Of course, he didn't see anything bad about it as he thought it was cute that they were playing tag as he made a light chuckle before Penny overheard this and groaned. She knew better than to laugh since One-One started acting a bit crazy when they got in. She knew that One-One wasn't like this out of a simple game of tag, especially since she would know. Even if it was in the game of tag, she wasn't told that he was ready, and it would've left her irked anyway as she shouted to Bryce before One-One gladly exclaimed.

"Hey, don't laugh! I'm in the middle of a crisis!"

"Mah!"

As One-One spun around, though, he ended up hitting the crystal in-between Tulip, Bryce, and Atticus before stopping the roll and summoning his legs to stop before his sad voice spoke up just as Penny picked him up.

"I deserved that."

"What happened? You didn't act like this before."

"Sorry. Tulip's logic tree is a lot of information to process."

Seeing Atticus' point for herself, Tulip began to think it may be a good idea to put away her notebook after all. If her logic tree made him like this, it would've led to disaster if they were in a more dangerous car like that Temple Car they went to prior to the Corgi Car. To prevent another mishap like that, Tulip put her notebook in her backpack as she spoke to Atticus before giving one more glance at it.

"Alright, I'll put the notebook away, for now. Until later, my love."

With that, she placed her fingers on her mouth and planted a kiss on them before placing her fingers on the notebook. From there, the group walked through the crystal forest, seeing that even the animals were crystallized as they encountered a hippo, a squirrel (which Atticus barked at), and a flock of pigeons above them, one of which even marked its territory on Tulip's jacket, much to her disgust before seeing that even the mark was crystallized. As the group pressed on, they came across a crystal-like barrier as Tulip placed her hands on it while Bryce looked on. She was convinced it was a sort of scenario where a trick would reveal a path like in most of their situations as she spoke after Bryce expressed the situation verbally as One-One and Penny joined in on looking for the switch as they placed their hands (and a leg in One-One's case) on the crystal wall.

"Looks like it's a dead end."

"Maybe it's one of those doors where we have to push a knot, like a secret passageway."

Given his wisdom, however, Atticus knew better as he walked towards Tulip and spoke up to her.

"Because my admittedly petite, but noble legs keep me close to the ground, I've often found that if there's not an answer in front of you, one may come from above."

As Atticus said this, Tulip, Bryce, Penny, and One-One looked up from his point of view to see a door up on the mountain as Atticus and One-One's glad voice spoke up.

"Right again! If anyone's keeping track, I think I'm winning at being right about things."

"I'm keeping track, and you are."

Even though it was the case, however, Penny and Bryce could tell something was wrong about the angle. The door was much too high for them to reach, even if they stood on each other's shoulders (though Atticus and One-One would be the top of it). And even if they could reach it, One-One wouldn't be able to open the doorknob. So, Penny felt the need to speak up about it as she did just that before Bryce and Tulip as the latter had an idea how to solve this.

"But how are we gonna get to the door?"

"Yeah. It is a little high."

"Maybe we should try building a ladder."

Right at that moment, however, the group heard a clanking from far away, drawing caution towards them as Atticus growled before Penny hid behind Bryce, though half of her body was hiding, as he drew out his cubed sword while Tulip and One-One looked to the direction of the noise. Evidently, the source of said clanking turned out to be a grey-beige colored crystal man with a crystal bowler hat on the side of his head and a mustache waved to the group as a hello before Penny moved away from Bryce slightly as he put away his cubed sword and Atticus refrained himself from attack position as Tulip tried to speak to the crystal man, hoping he'd have an answer.

"Oh, hi. Uh, do you know how we can get to the door up there?"

This earned a nod from the crystal man as an answer as Tulip became relieved.

"Oh, great!"

After that reply, however, came silence. This confused Tulip and the others about its behavior for the moment. Although, Atticus seemed to figure out what the problem was. Tulip only ever asked it the one question, and it wasn't quite as specific as she felt it was. To remedy this, the Royal Canine spoke up to the crystal man.

"Would you mind telling us how?"

As an answer, the crystal man clapped his "hands" together before placing his arms over his chest. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to get the hint of what it meant as One-One spoke on the obvious gladly.

"He can't speak! Just like Atticus."

"Huh?"

This proved to be a conundrum as Tulip and Bryce groaned. If he can't speak, then they wouldn't be able to find out how to get through the door in front of them. At this point, they might as well be back where they started on the train as they spoke up.

"Ugh, man. This is gonna take a while."

"You said it, Tulip."

However, Penny seemed to recognize the sign language as it was often used in one of the games she used to play: Charades. She didn't start out as a good player at it, but the time she had with Ms. Tabitha made it all the more fun as the wacky guesses kept them in stitches. Over time, though, Penny saw the answers coming through the sign language and easily won. As great as that was, she missed the fun and unpredictability of the answers Charades had once. However, her knowledge may put it to good use as she spoke up, intriguing Tulip and Bryce.

"Wait. I know what he's saying."

"Huh? You do?"

"Well, what's he saying?"

"Ummm... He said that he was taking care of the animals who lived here."

This earned a nod from the crystal man before she smiled at having guessed correctly. This astounded Bryce and Tulip at how she solved the language as they spoke in surprise.

"Whoa."

"How did you know that?"

"Ms. Tabby and I always played charades before I got adopted."

This made Tulip curious to say the least. Before now, she hasn't heard of Ms. Tabitha, so to hear her name was a mystery to her. Almost as mysterious as her and Bryce's numbers. To get to the bottom of it, Tulip spoke to Penny, realizing how little she knew about her life in an orphanage.

"And who's Ms. Tabby?"

"She's my nanny. She helped me get adopted with Bryce."

Hearing this, Tulip looked to Bryce for a confirmation before he nodded as he spoke.

"Yeah. It's true."

This made Tulip interested as she looked to the little girl smiling at her before she couldn't help but smile herself. Tulip didn't know why, but having Penny around, it's almost like she can dampen her anxieties and make her really want to relax. It's no wonder Bryce tried to keep her happy. However she feels, the same could be reflected off of them if one could appreciate her company. Unfortunately, Tulip didn't have the time to do that as she wanted to get off the train, but she didn't want to blatantly ignore her like before as she spoke to her before the crystal man.

"Cool. So, can you tell Penny what happened from there?"

At that moment, Atticus piped up. Gifted in translation as she is, she's bound to run into confusing words, at least as far as she's concerned. So, he felt it a necessity to side her in that much as he spoke.

"And me. As a King of Corginia, I can understand the language as clearly as she can. And also, she might be confused with big words."

"Huh?"

* * *

With that, Penny and Atticus used their gifts of sign language translation to determine what the crystal man was saying. The conversation seemed basic enough. It started out when he was looking after the animals that lived there. Then, a duo of shadows came over him and opened a strange portal holding a strange, greenish, glowing orb. Once they took it out, the steps became staticky before it faded away. Judging what they saw in Corginia, Penny could make out the rest.

"And then, the steps were... stolen?"

"By a... giant spider! Made... of metal?"

"And a, uh... a clocked?"

"It's cloaked, Penny."

"Oh. A cloaked figure, with a... mask?"

As Tulip and Bryce heard this, they gasped in great alarm. Having met them before, they knew they weren't threats to be taken lightly, given the havoc they caused in Corginia. If they were here, too, then it definitely meant bad news. Although, One-One didn't see it that way as his glad voice spoke up before Tulip and Bryce interjected.

"Oh, like my friends in Corginia."

"One-One, that thing wasn't your friend."

"Or that figure, for that matter."

"Oh, goodness! Was that my mom?"

Hearing this, Tulip became confused that he'd ask that about her after what it almost did to them and tried to reiterate what the monster could've done before One-One's Dad voice countered.

"It was trying to hurt us."

"The question stands."

Next, the crystal man's stomped around like a giant before placing his hands together and pointing them as several steps. Penny was able to translate that much her own way into shorter words before the crystal man pointed to a blue-purple crystal just adjacent to them and started to act as though he was singing before Atticus translated that next.

"So, the steps... can come back!"

"But only if we put our paws on this crystal. And...?"

As there was a long pause, One-One began to have an idea about what it was as he spoke gladly before the sad side spoke up in place of it.

"Eat some air!"

"Eating air makes me burpy."

Given he was a robot, Tulip was confused about how it'd work as she spoke to One-One before his sad voice countered.

"I don't think you can breathe."

"You never take my psychosomatic condition seriously."

As the crystal man repeated the action again, Tulip began to have an idea about what it meant as she spoke up.

"Oh! Do we have to sing?"

As an answer, the crystal man put his stubs closer together and placed them near its chest before holding its arms out before Atticus spoke up the translation and Bryce got the gist of what he was getting at.

"Hmm... big heart. Very emotional, perhaps, or important."

"So, in other words, an emotional or important song?"

"Indeed. And as it happens, my people have a song about a folk hero of ours, 'the Ballad of Mustard and Stink Tail'. It's got drama, pathos, and a bit of bawdy humor."

With that, Atticus placed his paw on the crystal and began to the song in his heart. However, it only came out in howls as he howled while the crystal flowed purple before the crystal's glow died out and the crystal man shook his head in disapproval. According to him, it wasn't the right one, much to Atticus' dismay as he spoke.

"The crystal doesn't recognize howling? But it's the ancient language of my people."

With Atticus out, One-One had an idea on how to sway the crystal as he gladly spoke.

"Oh, oh! Me, now! Me, now!"

As One-One rolled over to the crystal, he made a harmonizing sound before placing his leg on the crystal, making it glow purple before the usual sounds of what Bryce recognized them as a fax machine played. However, One-One didn't have much better luck than Atticus as the light died down before he spoke sadly.

"Connection failed."

With both One-One and Atticus having failed to appease the crystal, Penny spoke up, immediately remembering what song Ms. Tabitha always sang to her as she spoke.

"Oh, I know a song! I know a song!"

Eager to try it out, Penny ran to the crystal before placing her hand on the crystal and started to sing as it glowed purple.

"_**Twinkle twinkle, little star**_

_**How I wonder what you are**_

_**Up in the world so high**_

_**Like a diamond in the sky"**_

Unfortunately, the crystal didn't recognize her nursery rhyme, important to her as it was, as the Crystal's glow faded. To further verify it, the crystal man shook his head at her, making her disappointed as she spoke.

"Aw... but why?"

In that moment, Bryce had an idea on how to solve it. If the crystal needed an emotional or important song, then he knew just the one (along the list of songs he liked, of course). It was the song he enjoyed with his parents when he'd go to the beach with them and hang out with their friends, old or young. And even better, for his case anyway, was that it was catchy, so he could memorize the lyrics more clearly, so he decided to give it a try as he spoke.

"It's okay, Penny. I got it covered. We always played this song when me and my parents go to the beach. It was really fun."

"How fun?"

"You'll see."

From there, Bryce placed his hand on the crystal and got out his phone with his open hand and started the instrumental version of that music. As much as Bryce loved to listen to the song itself, he didn't want to do the A Capella version. To him, it would be weird to sing without music in the background as he sang, much to Tulip's annoyance. Unlike him, she was no fan of that song because of how lame it turned out to be, so she had to keep her ears covered for it as she groaned while Penny and One-One danced to the beat as Atticus tried to do a dance of his own as he was hopping on his two legs.

_**Play Solid Bold Music: "Summertime Lovin' (Loving in the Summertime) Instrumental"**_

"_**It's summertime, and you know what that means,**_

_**Gonna head down to the beach, gonna do some beachy things**_

_**It's summertime, and it feels just right**_

_**Gonna hang out with my friends, and we'll party through the night**_

_**Summertime Lo-o-ovin', lovin' in the Summertime (It's Summertime!)**_

_**Summertime Lo-o-ovin', baby, why can't you be mine?"**_

_**End Solid Bold Music: "Summertime Lovin' (Loving in the Summertime) Instrumental"**_

Unfortunately, the crystal rejected him as the glow did not show itself before he looked to the crystal man, confused about why it didn't come. As an answer, he shook his head to him before Bryce became upset. It was really important to him because of the memories he's had with his parents at the beach before he spoke.

"What? But it was a really good one!"

Tulip would argue with him on that, but she didn't want to be insensitive to him with how he tried to help out. So, she had to think of something that wouldn't hurt his feelings as she spoke, only earning a disgruntled reply from him.

"Maybe it didn't recognize the song because it was too catchy?"

"Whatever."

"Don't worry, guys. I know a super-emotional song to try."

With that, Tulip began to attempt to sing to the crystal as she placed her hand on it while she sang the song she had in mind to it.

"_**High, low, wherever we go**_

_**I just know our souls twine as one."**_

However, the crystal had no purple glow unlike the others. This confused Tulip about the prospect of it as she looked to the crystal man, only for his head to shake at her. This caught Tulip in a loop as she spoke to him.

"But that song is super-emotional! It's from this movie about a couple who fall in love on a zeppelin, and the guy dies when the zeppelin blows up."

This only earned a shake of his head again before Penny became confused. She's never heard of movies before now, nor did she hear of zeppelins. To find out what they were, Penny raised her hand before Tulip looked to her and tried to find out what it was about as she spoke.

"Yeah, Penny?"

"What's a zeppelin?"

As an answer, this only earned a groan from Tulip before she had an idea how to go about it. That was just one of the songs she had in mind. And the same went for Bryce as he didn't go through his list yet. Keeping that in mind, Tulip spoke up before Bryce.

"Okay. My world has a billion songs. I'll find one that works."

"You mean _our _world? I know other songs, too, you know."

"Alright, fine. Get ready, car, because we're about to blow your heart's mind!"

With that, Tulip and Bryce engaged in a sort of musical rivalry as they tried to find whatever song matched the Crystal's liking. As a result, various songs from various topics were sung in a random order with Tulip going first in an opera-like tone before Bryce sang, pointing his finger to Penny in the musings of a popular song, confusing her in the process before it showed Tulip holding One-One in her hand as she sang in the second round.

"_**I cleave thee to mine heart!"**_

* * *

_**Play **__**Train**__** Music: "Hey, Soul Sister (Instrumental)"**_

"_**Hey, soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo**_

_**The way you move ain't fair, you know!"**_

_**End **__**Train**__** Music: "Hey, Soul Sister (Instrumental)"**_

* * *

"_**Girl, you know it's so true, that I'm in love with you."**_

For Bryce's second time, he was singing while standing up as the others, including Tulip, were sitting down as Bryce sang a song to pump up the others so that they weren't bored.

_**Play Survivor Music: "Eye of the Tiger (Instrumental)"**_

"_**It's the Eye of the Tiger, It's the thrill of the fight,**_

_**Rising up to the challenge of our rival!"**_

_**End Survivor Music: "Eye of the Tiger (Instrumental)"**_

* * *

Up next, Tulip sang while she sat on the crystal to catch up on her breather while the group watched her.

"_**And even my pickup misses your face"**_

* * *

When it was Bryce's turn again, he began to take the topic more seriously as he sang a song that held close to the meaning of emotion and importance alike.

_**Play Limp Bizkit Music: "Behind Blue Eyes (Instrumental)"**_

"_**No one knows what it's like, to be the bad man, to be the sad man"**_

_**End Limp Bizkit Music: "Behind Blue Eyes (Instrumental)"**_

* * *

Next, Tulip tried a different approach as it was emotional in a contrast. Instead of being fueled with love, this song was fueled with anger and hints of betrayal as she sang.

"_**Ah! I hope you choke on her perfect cookie cutter world!"**_

* * *

However, Bryce's next song stuck on that aspect of positive emotion, but with a more uplifting appeal. In fact, it happens to be in the top ten of his favorite songs as he sang.

_**Play B.E.R. Music: "The Night Begins to Shine (Instrumental)"**_

"_**When I look at you, I see the story in your eyes!"**_

_**End B.E.R. Music: "The Night Begins to Shine (Instrumental)"**_

* * *

As the songs went on and on, neither one had made any progress in appeasing the crystal to summon the steps to the door as they were at their last breath. It felt like it had been an hour since they started singing other songs, and they were already beginning to sweat. Then again, they never had to sing that much before. If they ever get back, Bryce would need to send an apology to the boy bands that he felt were lazy and coasting on their companies. But so far, it's not appearing to happen anytime soon as Tulip sang despite her being tired.

"_**I can see our future children when I look into your eyes."**_

Having drawn near her last breath, Tulip fell onto the floor with her back. With her being out, Bryce would've normally taken his cue in her place, but he was just as tired from the concert roundabout as Penny looked up to him and tried to get him to sing another song as she spoke.

"Bryce, it's your turn now."

"No thanks. I don't think I'm cut out doing it for this long without a break."

With the concert apparently over, One-One's sad side spoke up his opinion on what he preferred.

"I like the ones about unrequited love the most. It's, like, real, you know."

Seeing as neither Tulip nor Bryce made any progress in getting the crystal to summon the steps, Atticus felt that they were overthinking this situation as he spoke up to them.

"Perhaps if we sleep on it, the right song will come to you two."

Hearing the suggestion from Atticus, Tulip knew it wasn't the first time he said it. All the same, it wasn't necessarily something she was into. As for Bryce, he felt like he could use it with how hard he's been going at it. With that, Tulip spoke up to Atticus before Bryce concurred with him from where he laid.

"You know, you suggest we sleep on things a lot."

"I am a dog."

"Oh, right. Well, maybe if we build a ladder"

"No can do. Atticus may be a dog, but he's usually right so far. Plus, I'm super tired, so I'm just gonna take his advice, thank you."

As Bryce slumped onto the floor, his backpack acting as a support to keep from feeling the hard crystal floor, Tulip decided to find an alternative to get to the door without him for now as the crystal man objected to her plan. However, given how long they've been doing this, Tulip wasn't in the mood to wait as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but your song isn't working. Are you guys gonna help me build the ladder or what?"

As an answer, the group showed that they had no thumbs as Atticus raised his paws, One-One held his leg up, and the crystal man showed that his "hands" were stubs. Penny, on the other hand, showed that she did have her hands, although she didn't know what they were raising their "hands" for. Soon, however, she's going to find out for herself as Tulip vented her frustration from realizing their flaw before she spoke to her.

"Grr! No thumbs! A lot of help everyone is in this car... Wait, Penny. _You've _got thumbs. Do you want to help with the ladder?"

As Penny looked back at the crystal that was supposed to glow when a song comes up, she began to feel a ladder would be faster. Plus, Bryce decided to "take five" from it for a while as he was all tired from his vain efforts. With no song to keep her from being bored out of her mind, she had to agree to help.

"Um... okay."

"Great. I know just what you can do."

* * *

As Penny went with Tulip to help with the ladder, Atticus turned to One-One and the crystal man before he began to speak to them about the purpose of the Ballad of Mustard and Stink Tail. While he did, Tulip and Penny were hard at work on the ladder as they lugged the "vines" to the pile before Penny pulled on one of the longer ones, shortly causing it to fall on her as she helped before Tulip caught her on her arms while the little girl held her vine. As time went on, Atticus was near the end of the story just as Tulip and Penny were near the ending of their ladder with One-One's glad side curious about Atticus' meaning of it before the sad side grew satisfied with his answer.

"Since I couldn't sing it, this provides a perfect opportunity to tell you the Ballad of Mustard and Stink Tail. Ahem. Once, a mighty Corgi emerged from the blue river. He towered at a gargantuan two-and-a-half-feet tall. The shrewd Stink Tail stole all the bully sticks, and when the pups awoke for the Spring Festival Aplenty, not even a kibble lay by the hearth. At a stalemate, Mustard and Stink Tail began trading, shall I say, some rather salty jives. And from that day on, when one saw Mustard the Shiny, they also saw Stink Tail, best friends to the end."

"To the end of what?"

"Well, their lives."

"Nice."

Right at that moment, Penny rode on Tulip's back yawning as she was just as tired from the ladder crafting as Tulip was before she spoke, making Bryce wake up. When he did, he took notice of Penny starting to get sleepy on Tulip's back. It was bizarre to see her this tired, especially since she doesn't usually end up like on that his back. Regardless, he tried to find out their progress as the crystal man turned away from her, like he was upset before Tulip spoke to the group with Atticus replying before Bryce spoke up to her.

"Guys, we're done. Man, that story is really, really long."

"Mustard's story cannot be abridged."

"Wait, you finished the ladder already? How long was I out? And why's Penny on your back?"

"She's just a little tuckered out from helping with the ladder. She had fun, though. Didn't you, Penny?"

As an answer, Penny gave a soft moan as she nodded while smiling before Tulip picked her up off of her back and looked back to Bryce with a smile of her own, knowing her point was made as she set her down on Bryce's lap while the crystal man grumbled before she spoke to it.

"Grump all you want, but this is gonna work."

As Tulip brought the crystal ladder to the crystal wall where the door was just beyond their reach, the group followed her with Bryce holding the sleepy Penny with his arms hugging her before Tulip set the ladder on the wall, providing just enough leg room to get to the door before Tulip spoke.

"Yes! No more emotional songs."

As Tulip began climbing on the ladder, the crystal man still maintained his grumpy expression as he mumbled to her. When Bryce saw this, he began to sense the true complexity of the door. It's one thing to get to the door, but to get it to open was another thing entirely. After all, the door was locked in the Straight-Up Italy car until they solved a problem with it. So, Bryce began to think that maybe the idea was to unlock the door with the song as he spoke.

"Yeah, he's still not going for it. And I think I know—"

"Sorry, buddy. Sometimes, you just gotta go logical."

"Listen, Tulip. Maybe it's one thing to get to the door, but—"

Unfortunately, Tulip did not hear him out amidst her triumph and tried to open the door. When she tried, however, the door didn't budge. Other times, it would've been a mere inconvenience, but with all the effort she put into making the ladder, it's beginning to have her scared as she didn't want her time and effort to be for nothing before she tried to pry the door open with no success.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no! It's locked!"

In her frustration, Tulip slid down the ladder she and Penny made, still in disbelief that she cane so close, only to go so far as she groaned before Bryce tried to explain to her.

"That's what I was trying to tell you. It's one thing to get to the door, but what about unlocking it? Maybe that's what the song was for."

To verify Bryce's theory, the crystal man engaged in a singing pose with its mouth open. However, even in the face of futility, Tulip still wouldn't go for it. For one thing, she nearly lost her breath (and her voice) trying to find the right song to summon a bridge. And for another, Tulip believed that no matter what song they could come up with, the result would always be the same. And she's had more than enough of that mess as she snapped.

"No! That makes no sense! Bryce and I tried out every emotional theme that would work. Break-ups! Celebrities singing to draw attention to important social issues! Even songs about going after your dreams! Like my dream of going to Game Design Camp, which is probably over, like forever ago! I don't even know how time works on this dumb train!"

As Tulip finished her stressed-out yelling, Bryce could tell that she hasn't gotten any sleep since they stayed at Nancy's car. Taking that in context, he felt that maybe it was why she was so tense. The crystal man, on the other hand, felt its explanation wasn't as thorough as it thought it was as Bryce spoke.

"Yeesh, Tulip. Exactly when was the last time you took a nap?"

Before Tulip could counter his rhetorical question, the crystal man walked over to Tulip an made a motion that pointed to her whole body from head to toe, though technically it started at her chest and then her head. Then, he pointed to his own chest and head. It would've been confusing enough for her with her stress, but thanks to Penny's charade skills, which she paid attention to when they deciphered its message, Tulip understood what it meant.

"My heart, me singing. Not your heart, not you singing."

Taking this to heart, Tulip began to look at her own number as she realized that she went about it all wrong. It was supposed to be a song coming from her own heart, not from someone else's. In this circumstance, it would make sense as the crystal glowed for Atticus, One-One, and Penny, however brief it was. Although, it's made her a bit thrown in the loop as she spoke to the crystal man.

"I thought I was supposed to find a song that made the crystal feel something. But it has to be a song that's emotional for me?"

As the crystal nodded, Tulip and Bryce's search was narrowed down a notch. Although, it still presented an obstacle for the former as she felt that they tried every song they could think of to summon a bridge. As for Bryce, the search became easier now that he's fully rested as he spoke first.

"Oh, I get it now. Well, I guess that explains it. Now, we just gotta find a song that's emotional for us."

"But how do we do that, Bryce? We've already liked a bunch of the songs we've tried. How are we to know which songs we connect to most?"

As an answer, Atticus interjected with her question as he spoke up before Bryce began to see where he was going as he looked to the sleeping Penny

"Hmm... I thought of the Ballad of Mustard and Stink Tail immediately."

"Yeah. And Penny thought of her favorite nursery rhyme back at the Orphanage Car."

As Bryce spoke about her, though, he unintentionally stirred her awake as she slowly opened her eyes before Tulip spoke on how to go about it.

"Huh?"

"So, it could just be the first song I think of? That's too arbitrary."

"Seems worth a try."

To further prove this, the crystal man began to move Tulip's hand to her chest before moving the other to her head. Given how things went so far, Tulip could already tell what he's trying to say. But with no success for so long, it's not a matter of finding the song. It's become a matter of whether or not she wanted to. Then again, she did want to go back to Wisconsin, so the decision was easy, though Tulip still had doubts as she spoke, unaware that Bryce was trying to think of his own song that connected to him in his life the most as he sat down with the still-waking Penny in his lap before Bryce shushed her to keep Penny from being woken up too soon as he spoke in a whisper.

"Okay, but if this were in the Scientific Odyssey Trials, this would not win an award. Not even for 'Best Last-Ditch Effort. And yes, that is a real thing, and yes, I petitioned to remove it from the category, and no, they didn't."

"Shhh! Nobody asked, Tulip. Just focus on finding the song, okay?"

"Fine. I'm singing."

From there, Tulip began to think of what song connected to her the most. To begin with, it was no easy task with the amount of songs she liked. But thanks to the crystal man's input, she found a way to narrow it down to what she liked in general. All that she needed to do then was to get the crystal to react like it did with the others. The tricky part was to find out how much the meant to her as she spoke.

"La-la-la-la. What do I care about? Uh... programming is cool. And... I like my friends. And, uh, onions. And the first three bites of pancakes. And, like, getting new textbooks at the beginning of the year before I'm sick of School again. And road trips, and..."

Upon coming to that set, Tulip began to stop right there. Believe it or not, she actually had a fond memory of road trips. When she was little, she and her parents would always go on road trips together. And whenever they did, she was always happy with them. That would've been a good memory to keep as she reminisced on that activity while speaking softly to herself with a smile.

"Huh. Road trips."

At that moment, Tulip inadvertently got the Crystal's attention as it glowed before the crystal man hopped with glee. At the same time, the crystal's glow also woke up Penny as the light reached her all the way from where Tulip was before she sat up straight with a curious look, trying to block out the light with her hands. Tulip, however, was beginning to get frightened. She might've enjoyed the song when she was younger, but in her age, it could prove to be embarrassing in front of the group. So, she easily freaked out as she spoke after Penny tried to find out what was going on.

"Huh? Why's the light shining again?"

"What?! Aw, that's embarrassing! Let me pick a different one!"

_**Play Cameo Music: "Word Up (Instrumental)"**_

Unfortunately, the crystal did not choose to as the familiar music played in the background. While it did, Bryce began to feel the beat as he felt it was familiar while he stood up after he helped Penny up on her feet before he spoke just ahead of Tulip, who turned to Atticus for help in this situation.

"Honestly, I'm kinda feeling it."

"But it doesn't make sense!"

"Doesn't seem to matter if it makes sense."

"I can't believe this is happening!"

One-One and Penny, however, were actually into this type of music as well before his glad side and the little girl spoke to Tulip with the latter going first.

"What's wrong with this music?"

"It's the music in your heart."

"But, it-it isn't emotional at all! It's just some song my family and I used to sing on road trips. It's about dancing, or something."

This was a hard pass for One-One's sad side as he burrowed a scowl before he spoke, to which Bryce objected. With what's going on at the moment, Bryce figured out what the crystal man meant. It has to be a song that makes them emotional because of how much it meant to them. To think that he didn't know that before now. To help her out, Atticus and Bryce urged her on after Sad-One's rebuttal.

"Gross."

"Don't listen to him. Just sing."

"It's alright, Tulip. You got this."

This only earned a groan in frustration before Tulip attempted to sing the song, making a tone that was supposedly a male voice as it sounded a bit monotone-like before she eventually got into the groove of it, forgetting how embarrassed she was to do it as she went along. When she did, Penny and One-One wanted to join in as Tulip turned to them before they spoke.

"It sounds great!"

"Your heart is fun, Ms. Tulip!"

As she got in the groove, she began to look to the group as her audience to dance with One-One dancing with one leg in the air while Penny started waving her hands in the air as she stepped back and forth while Bryce pushed his head in the similar motion as Atticus leaned his head left and right.

"_**Your pretty ladies around the world**_

_**Got a weird thing to show you**_

_**So tell all the boys and girls**_

_**Tell your brother, your sister and your mamma too**_

_**We're about to go down**_

_**And you know just what to do**_

_**Wave your hands in the air like you don't care**_

_**Glide by the people as they start to look and stare**_

_**Do your dance, do your dance, do your dance quick mamma**_

_**Come on baby tell me what's the word**_

_**Word up"**_

_**End Cameo Music: "Word Up (Instrumental)"**_

Just as the verse was finished, the ground began to quake as crystal shards shook like rocks. When the group looked to the horizon, they noticed a tall giant with purple gems for eyes as he leaned down to the group, unnerving Penny for a moment as she hid behind Bryce's legs again. However, with what the crystal man told them, Bryce knew he wasn't a threat as he spoke to her.

"Hey, easy, Penny. This guy's okay. Maybe..."

As she heard Bryce's opinion on the giant, she peeled by his leg to see it make a sign with his beefy hands that he found it a-Okay with a wink before setting his hand on the floor, making a finger extend itself gently before Penny went closer to said finger and looked at how huge it was compared to her small body. She's afraid it might crush her at first, but when she looked up, the giant only gave a smile to her with a nod before she cautiously held her hand out to it and placed it on the huge finger. While she did, Penny became relieved that it was nice since it didn't make a move against them. The most it did after that was opening its large mouth to get out a new staircase before flicking Tulip's makeshift ladder so far away it couldn't be seen. After that, it placed the staircase on where the ladder once was before it laid down, eagerly watching the group as if he'd expected more out of it, confusing Tulip as she spoke.

"That's it? An emotional song just for that? What about the door?! How are we gonna unlock it?!"

As Tulip said this, trying to wrap her mind around it, Bryce began to think more logically about it as he looked over to the crystal man, hoping he might have an answer for the situation. After all, he did only answer the question on how to get the bridge because he was only asked about if he knew before Atticus asked if he could tell them. Maybe the same logic applied to the door. To be safe, Bryce thought it best to ask both questions at the same time as he spoke.

"Maybe he'd know. Excuse me. Do you know how to get that door unlocked, and can you tell us how?"

As an answer, the crystal man nodded before pointing to Tulip and Bryce and engaging in a singing position like before as the latter of the two understood what he meant.

"An emotional song again? But we've already tried... Oh, you mean we should sing a duet?"

As an answer, the crystal man nodded. However, Tulip wasn't quite enthusiastic about it despite the success of her song. She and Bryce tried a bunch of different songs, but not one of them was a duet as far as she knew. This made her at a loss as she spoke up.

"But what duet? We've sang every song we could think of trying to get the crystal to feel something, but none of them fit in that category. How are we supposed to find one now?"

However, Bryce knew of one song that could help them. Believe it or not, he would've tried to sing it if he wasn't tired back then. It was actually the song that his mom and Dad usually sang to him when they tucked him in bed as a young boy at the age of 11. He didn't quite understand the lyrics back then, but now that he's older, he was starting to as he stood up and spoke to Tulip.

"Actually, I have one."

This made Tulip look to Bryce in confusion before he walked over to the crystal and placed his hand on it.

_**Play Rebecca Sugar Music: "Love Like You (Instrumental)"**_

He already knew what connected with him, so naturally, the crystal glowed purple for him before piano music started playing the background, making Tulip look to Bryce in surprise over the fact that he was into that music before he began to sing the words his parents always sang to him. In a sense, it is emotionally connected to him, but it's also emotional in general as throughout the journey on the train, Bryce always tried the hardest he could to live up to his responsibility for everyone's safety on the train, regardless of whether or not he promised to keep them safe. After he sang the first verse, Tulip felt as though he was actually singing to her about how he always felt, earning a sympathetic look from her as he sang onwards to Penny this time.

"_**If I could begin to be half of what you think of me,**_

_**I could do about anything. I could even learn how to love.**_

_**When I see the way you act, wondering when I'm coming back**_

_**I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love like you."**_

As the song continued to play the interlude, Tulip couldn't help but feel the song has already begun to earn her vote. It was so beautiful in its own right, it's a wonder that they never got to try that while trying to make the crystal feel something. Thinking about it now, Tulip was beginning to wonder why he didn't do something like that sooner if he'd known all along. To get an answer, Tulip spoke to him as the song continued to play.

"Bryce... it's so beautiful. Why didn't you sing something like this sooner?"

"I wanted to, but I was too tired to do that."

This made Tulip a bit offended that being tired was the reason this song was held back. He, of all people, knew how special that song was. So to her, that excuse wasn't called for as she spoke.

"What? Because you were tired? What kind of excuse is—"

Before Tulip could finish, she remembered that she was getting just as tired as he was. This not only made her feel ridiculous about it, but with the song as the fuel, Tulip began to feel she was always questioning how Bryce handles things ever since they met when he was just as hard at work at getting off the train as she was. As she remembered this, Tulip felt bad for how she's been treating Bryce even up to this point as she spoke.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay, Tulip. It's easy to get agitated when you're tired."

"No, I mean. I'm sorry for... everything. I told you, I get scared of thinking about staying on this train. And every time I do, I panic and I... I take it out on you. And it wasn't fair. You didn't ask for that."

"Tulip, it's not your fault."

"Like that even matters."

In that moment, Tulip began to sing the next verse to Bryce about how she's always felt since taking a look in the proverbial mirror about what she always did in tough spots and how she's felt about Bryce trying to do everything he could for the group to keep them safe and happy. In turn, she began to earn Bryce's own sympathy as he began to feel way worse than he ever did about blowing up at her. He wasn't trying to make her feel like a drag, but that's what happened. And the feeling got worse as she sang.

"_**I always thought I might be bad, now I'm sure that it's true**_

_**Because I think you're so good, and I'm nothing like you**_

_**Look at you go, I just adore you**_

_**I wish that I knew what makes you think I'm so special..."**_

_**Pause Rebecca Sugar Music: "Love Like You (Instrumental)"**_

Having finished her song, One-One and Atticus couldn't help but feel bad for Tulip, but none more so than Penny as she went up to her leg and hugged her there, getting her before she looked to see her face and smiled at the little girl for trying to comfort her before Bryce took his turn. Since he remembered what he did back home before he ever got on the train, Bryce knew that he owed it to her as he walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder before he spoke.

"Tulip, I'm not exactly anyone special either. I know you just want to get off the train, and it's made you all freaked out, but none of that was your fault. When I blew up at you, I— I guess I got freaked out, too. But it's just that I made a promise to keep Penny safe. And with you guys around me, I don't know... it's just a lot of pressure for me to deal with. I mean, I've done worse than you for sure, and honestly, I feel like it's just dumb luck that I managed to keep Penny around for this long. Back home, I couldn't even look after my room. And besides, I'm just as new to this train as you."

As Tulip heard Bryce explain himself, she couldn't help but feel curious about Bryce. With the way he's handled everything, she felt he was more experienced on this stuff in spite of what he just told her. Everything from his number to how he's looked after Penny proved that.

"But you just can't be, Bryce. You-you tried so hard to keep everyone together, but I just wanted the fastest way out. You always know what to do. You are special."

"Then why didn't my number change?"

As Tulip heard this, she became surprised. This made her look at her own number, seeing that it still remained on "101" while Bryce's was still on "111". Before Tulip could try to speak, still having no clue about why Bryce's number didn't change, he spoke up again to her.

"I wouldn't try to ask. I know just as much about this as you. It's a wonder I even know anything around here at all..."

As Penny overheard this, she decided to give Bryce a hug on his leg, too before he and Tulip looked down to see her hugging the both of them as she smiled at them. One-One was right about them being a work-in-progress, but they showed that they truly care about each other. And it's because of that that their numbers made no difference, no matter what Ms. Tabitha told her about them. As long as they could care for each other, Tulip and Bryce would be the people she could count on, and she's always be happy for that as she spoke.

"I know you're not perfect, but you guys are good to me."

As they looked to Penny, seeing how happy she was to be around them, Tulip and Bryce then looked to each other before they smiled, knowing that in spite of their imperfections on this train, someone would always be around to love them. And they wanted to show their gratitude to her for sticking by them as Bryce and Tulip sang the next verse while he picked up Penny before he and Tulip made a group hug with Penny in the middle.

_**Resume Rebecca Sugar Music: "Love Like You (Instrumental)"**_

_**Bryce: "If I could begin to do..."**_

_**Tulip: "Something that does right by you..."**_

_**Bryce + Tulip: "I would do about anything. I could even learn how to love."**_

As the two made a group hug, Penny couldn't help but feel that she was being protected by the two people holding her as happy tears came down her face while she smiled while One-One spoke up gladly as the crystal man applauded while Atticus felt the tears coming on before wiping it off with his paw.

"See, Ms. Penny? I told you they'll be alright."

This earned a small laugh from Penny before Bryce and Tulip began rocking with her side to side as they sang in unison. As they did, Atticus went up near their legs and looked up to Penny as he placed his paws on Bryce's legs. It would've frightened her before, but since she's known Atticus for some time, Penny was happy to have Atticus around as she petted his crown as One-One hopped onto Atticus before landing near Penny as he snuggled near her before she hugged him back.

_**Bryce + Tulip: "When I see the way you look, shaken by how long it took,**_

_**I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love like you.**_

_**Love like you.**_

_**Love me like you."**_

When they finished the last verse, the giant gave a big round of applause (that is, a normal round of applause without blowing too much force from his claps) before he opened a small locket on his neck, revealing a key before getting it and using it to open the door, causing it to turn the doorknob before the doors split away, revealing the way to the next car as the group looked up to see it before Tulip spoke up.

"Huh."

_**End Rebecca Sugar Music: "Love Like You (Instrumental)"**_

Just then, as the group looked at the door, the green light from Tulip and Bryce's hands began to glow brighter as their numbers began to change dramatically, much to Penny's surprise as she took notice of it under her and spoke up.

"Look! Your numbers are changing!"

As they heard Penny's exclamation, Bryce and Tulip looked to their hands underneath Penny before seeing their hands showing a flash of numbers before Tulip's number stopped at "89" while Bryce's stopped at "95". Seeing that they'd finally changed after their emotional connection, it came as a pleasant surprise to the two of them. However, it meant that Tulip's logic tree was blown out of the water. And the both of them knew it as Tulip spoke up.

"Our numbers changed again. Guess that's my hypothesis flown through the window."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay. Not everything has to be logical. I know that now."

As Tulip said this, Bryce began to realize the position that they're in as he recalled how his parents always used to hold him in one of his baby pictures. His mom and dad would always be near each other with their little bundle of joy in the middle. As Bryce noticed the similarities in their own pose, he began to blush hard on his face before Tulip noticed it and tried to find out what the deal was as she spoke to him.

"Bryce? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's-it's fine. So, uh, wanna head to the next car?"

As Bryce asked this, Tulip realized how close she was to him herself with her hugging. As a result, it made her give her own blush as she ceased the hug and became embarrassed that they'd done it for this long as she spoke.

"Uh, yeah! Yeah."

With that, Tulip went up on the stairs first with Atticus following her before Bryce looked to Penny as she spoke. Since she heard that Tulip was alright with letting her logic tree slide, it meant that she'd be able to spend more time with One-One without having to worry about him going nuts.

"Bryce, can I go with One-One?"

"Uh, sure. Be my guest."

With that, Bryce set Penny and One-One on the floor before she ran with the little robot in her arms as she shouted to Tulip.

"Hey, wait for us!"

While Penny giggled, Bryce couldn't help but smile at her as she ran to Tulip and Atticus. As he watched, though, he began to get the sense that Penny might be more than just his adopted sister. The way he and Tulip cradled Penny in their arms somehow gave him another sense of things. It was almost as if that they were like... well, like a family. This gave Bryce some major food for thought as he looked to his number before his backpack, recalling how the figure told him about what'd happen if they knew what he did as the voice echoed in his mind.

"_I know what you've done, and I know you can't keep that a secret forever. They'll find out, and when they do, they'll abandon you."_

This made Bryce more worried than ever. Although, he began to think more clearly on what should happen over what he wanted to happen. Now that the group became like a family to him, he'd do almost anything for them, even the hardest decisions. And this made him remember what his father always told him, that even when things seem like it's best to hide it, a man must always be honest. It's how his mother was with him through thick and thin. And he wanted very badly for them to be with him, too. That's why he's still worried about what could happen they do find out.

However, Bryce knew his parents would be disappointed in him if he'd lied. Heck, they might be disappointed in him right now, even, for stealing money from the bank just to pay for their otherwise expensive medical care! Keeping that in mind made him feel worse than before. But the way he saw it, Bryce knew that if the secret is to come out, it's going to be on his terms. He knew that it's the only way to make it up to them as he spoke to himself.

"I've got to tell them..."

**A/N: So, how was it? A tearjerker, right? I know it is for me. In fact, I almost cried writing that last part in the story. Also, Bryce may try to tell them the truth, but things won't always be that simple. The next chapter will prove how hard it is for him to tell the truth, whether he wants to find out or not...**


	7. The Rainforest Car

**A/N: Hello, guys. :) Sorry about the long hiatus. It takes longer to create a new chapter based on a different car, so I apologize for the inconvenience that it caused you. Also, as you may have guessed, this isn't The Cat's Car just yet. Don't worry, though. It won't take too long to get there. After this, there's one more new chapter before The Cat's Car appears. And these two chapters will detail Bryce's struggle to tell the truth and the consequences of it. And for those of you still in doubt about her, Penny's role is crucial to this story, not merely as a symbolism of his childhood dream that would easily get thrown away by his bad decisions, but as her own person in general. So, you can expect some development from her along the way before they face the Conductor. Beyond that, I hope you enjoy this chapter. ;)**

**Act I - ****Chapter VI: **The Rainforest Car

In spite of his conflict being settled to telling the truth, Bryce found that it wasn't as easy as he thought it was. Ever since the Crystal Car, Bryce felt that he's gotten close to his friends like they were... a family. At least, it felt like that to him. What's more, Bryce couldn't rightly explain it, but he's begun to develop feelings for Tulip. However, that only elevated his conflict to its ultimatum.

As long as they're family, that meant that he always has to be honest with them. And while Bryce knows how important it is to tell the truth, it's made him scared to death just thinking about what they could do once he does tell them. But the figure was right about one thing: he can't hold onto that secret forever. He, for one, would've preferred it on his own terms rather than someone else's. But the way things were going, it might as well be a moot point.

Every opportunity Bryce had, he tried to tell Tulip and the others the truth about what he did. However, obstacles, be it from his conflict or problems in each car that needed fixing, kept interfering with what he intended to do. It was always like this one car after another. And unfortunately, the cycle didn't seem to end there as the group just exited one car that was consisted entirely of a laser tag arena. Although, it was a bittersweet event as Bryce was always excited for the game growing up, no matter how many times he got zapped. Given that some of the group weren't as gifted with thumbs, however, Atticus and One-One had to wait until Bryce, Tulip, and Penny got the high score of over one million as a sum total for their team before they succeed and get the door opened, with Tulip (having a score of 325,000), Bryce (holding the score of 600,000), and Penny (somehow managing the score of 75,050) walking out as champions. As they got out, they were filled with adrenaline and vented this rush in excitement as Tulip held the little girl by her sides.

"Laser tag was so much fun!"

"Good thing you played along, then, huh, Penny?"

"Uh-huh! I wanna go again!"

"Sorry, Penny. We gotta get going. But who knows? Maybe the next car will be more fun."

However, One-One's sad side begged to differ as he spoke up before his glad side spoke up to him.

"I doubt it. The next car would probably be a fart car, where everything is just a fart."

"It _could _be a fart car. Is that what you want?"

"Sure, why not? The stench would be a bookend to my misery."

Hearing this from One-One's sad side, Tulip interjected as she recalled how many times he'd said this. Since the Crystal Car, he'd always been like this, mostly as a sort of pessimistic outlook. With how many cars they'd been through, Tulip didn't think the odds of that would amount to their situation as she set Penny down on the floor.

"Okay, first of all, do you even have a nose? Second, you've been saying that for the past eight cars now. It's just too unlikely."

However, at that moment as Tulip opened the handle, she's met with a vacant room, a square box with nothing else inside. At least, it would've been the case if it weren't for a bunch of fart noises within the room. As Bryce overheard this, he unfortunately was able to small the foul stench as well as the others as they groaned in disgust, save for One-One as his glad side was reminded of what Tulip's first question was.

"You're right. I don't have a nose."

"But we do. Hold your nose, Penny, and Atticus's too."

As Penny nodded in compliance to Bryce's request and plugged her and Atticus's noses (gently as it turned out to be more sensitive than the others' noses) with her fingers, much to the Corgi's relief from the situation, Bryce and Tulip did the same before they all charged through the room. While they ran through the car, the countless farts inside threatened to penetrate their nostrils and assault their noses. By the time they got out, they were barely able to keep their nostrils safe from the stink as Bryce closed the door before he made a harsh inhale while Tulip sputtered her mouth as she was no fan of the car either. At the same time, Penny was trying to fan away the stink that got out of the car as Atticus sneezed from Penny's fingers making contact with his nose as long as they did as he shook his head before Penny, Tulip, Bryce, and Atticus vented their disgust and frustration with that one car.

"That was so gross!"

"Why does that exist?!

"I know, right? It smelled like Brussel Sprouts in there!"

"It was a clear attempt on the Crown, using stench warfare like this. We could've been poisoned!"

One-One still had a feeling that it wouldn't exactly go to their liking as his sad side spoke up about what the next car would be, much to Bryce's agitation as he retorted shortly after before Tulip took her turn to think of what car could be next to keep Penny happy as she knew she wasn't any more proud of this car than the others.

"The next car's probably gonna be a burp car."

"Stuff it, you."

"Maybe it's a pizzeria that only serves cold pizza. That'd be creative, huh? Oh, or it could even be a pool, or an amusement park, or—"

Before Tulip could finish, Penny piped up, hoping for the next car to be something new that she'd like. Considering that it was mentioned previously before they met the Cat, Penny felt more excited to try it despite the fart car's noxious fumes as she chimed in.

"Or a Go-Kart track!"

"Yeah. Or something like that."

As Penny became excited about the next car, Bryce couldn't help but smile to himself. It almost made him want to change his mind about telling them and let them enjoy their blissful ignorance. He knew all too well that his secret would shatter their joy like glass. Who knows if they'll even be like this ever again if he just tells them his secret? However, Bryce also suspected that if that figure from Corginia knew about his secret, she'd be committed to ruining his life by exposing it to them anyway, as far as he knew. Because of that scenario, he's determined not to let it happen that way and tried to speak to them, only for Atticus to notice his conflict and address the issue.

"Bryce? Is something wrong?"

Once Atticus spoke up to him, Bryce was paralyzed. Of all the people to notice, or in this case a companion, it had to be him. Knowing how great dogs usually are in sniffing out something out of the ordinary, Bryce knew that if anyone would be closer to finding out what he did, it'd be Atticus. This was a factor he didn't consider before now, so he began to get nervous easily as he tried his best to answer.

"What? No! Of course not! Nothing— nothing's wrong."

However, Atticus was not one to fool easily. As king, he prides himself as a great judge of character. And unfortunately for Bryce, he could also tell when someone's holding something back. The signs were practically dangling in front of his face. And Atticus felt the need to explain to him that he couldn't hide it.

"Bryce, I don't mean to doubt you, but you seem a bit... strange lately."

"Strange? Me? No. What are you talking about?"

"Ever since we left the Crystal Car, you've been acting as though you have a major stink about something, and I'm not talking about the noxious fumes from the last car. What seems to be the trouble?"

As the tension began to rise, Bryce quickly found the situation escalating more than he would've wanted it to, if at all. Although, Atticus didn't seem to have the aim to expose him, which was a relief to him in the moment; he just wanted to know what was wrong with him. Unfortunately, contrary to how he felt at the Crystal Car when he left, Bryce felt it was asking a lot to tell him before Tulip. He thought he'd be able to tell them all at once, but as it turned out, it has a fair excess of pressure on him, so he decided to settle for telling Tulip as a start. After all, he still felt bad for how he snapped at her in the Beach Car as he conceded to Atticus and explained himself.

"Alright... the truth is, I have something on my mind that I need to tell Tulip, but I just don't know how to go about it. I kept trying to tell her car after car, but a lot of stuff just gets in the way and it's— it's just getting me nowhere."

As Atticus heard this, he began to suspect what Bryce might be talking about. He knew wasn't blind when he saw how happy Bryce was around Tulip during the group hug. From this action, Atticus could only assume that he must've been struck by a case of Cupid's Arrow. And judging from how long he must be going on about it, Atticus could tell that he spoke the truth on that much. Seeing his distress, Atticus thought of a few ideas on how to help.

"Hmm. Perhaps I can shed some light on how you can tell her."

This made Bryce surprised as he looked to the Crowned Corgi. He never thought Atticus would give him advice without asking about what he's trying to tell her. Regardless, Bryce could use the advice His Majesty had to offer him.

"Huh? Really? How?"

"If you want to get through to Tulip about what's on your mind, all you need to do is to find an environment to engage this topic with her by yourself. As long as there's nothing to distract you in there, it should come naturally for you to be able to tell her."

"Okay. And how am I supposed to find someplace we could be alone? It's not like we'll end up in a jungle this next car."

As Bryce tried to think of it, he heard the door unlock as he noticed that Penny was turning the handle while Tulip held her up before the door opened to show a tropical jungle with the sun up above the blue sky, contrary to his earlier statement. As the group gazed in the scenery, they could hear several bird calls along with monkey screeches in the distance. When Penny heard this cacophony, taking notice of the background inside the car, she became a bit upset as she moaned as Tulip became surprised at the size of it while Bryce was more surprised that his guess was spot on as he spoke.

"Aw..."

"Whoa..."

"Okay, I stand corrected."

As the group gazed at the large setting of the jungle, noticing firsthand the humidity in the area, Bryce and Tulip looked around, seeing nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. However coincidental it was, this turned out to be a really good opportunity for Bryce. All he needed to do now was to find someplace he could be able to tell Tulip about what he did back home. Of course, he still didn't forget that they needed to get back home. So, he tried to come up with a way to solve that problem without giving away his plan to tell her the truth. At that point, however, Penny was having a hard time adjusting to what she considered to be the heat of the jungle as she felt as though she's sweating, brushing off her forehead while she spoke before Atticus had a different word for how she described her situation.

"Bryce, how come it's so hot out here?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it hot, Penny, so much as humid."

As proof of this, Atticus's fur began to get frizzy as it puffed out, making him more fluffy than he normally was while catching Penny's attention as she noticed Atticus's situation and began to giggle a bit from the event while One-One's glad and sad sides spoke up.

"Ooh! I didn't know you could turn into a fluffy porcupine."

"Careful you don't get poked by his needles."

Seeing Atticus in that condition, Tulip couldn't help but laugh a bit herself, much to the Corgi's dismay as he looked at his legs' fur which stood on end.

"Right. I, uh, think I'd appreciate it if you could help me with this."

"Don't worry, Atticus. I gotcha."

As Bryce vied to help Atticus with the situation as he knelt down to him, licked his hand, and tried to put the fur back down with his hand, brushing it back down as Tulip tried to help Penny with her own problem of the humidity while she had an idea of why it was so humid. If she learned anything in school, Tulip would know that there's only one type of jungle that could be so humid. And it wasn't lost on Bryce either as he took off his own jacket to adapt to the humidity.

"Hmm... I think this might be a rainforest, guys."

"Yeah. Sure looks that way."

Once she heard what this terrain was called, Penny became confused. Knowing this much from Ms. Tabitha, rainforests are supposedly forests that'd get rained on a lot. Although, the weather at this moment seemed close to cloudy at least. For it to not rain now made no sense to her, as far as she knew as Tulip took off her own jacket and wrapped it around her waist before putting Penny's jacket in her backpack for the time being.

"But it's not raining."

"Well, that doesn't mean it's not going to. And we better hoof it if we don't wanna get drenched, because I'm pretty sure One-One isn't waterproof."

In support of Tulip's theory, One-One's sad side dejectedly agreed.

"It's true. I just don't get comfortable around water."

"I rest my case. Come on, guys. Let's go find shelter before the rain hits."

With that, Tulip took the lead as she walked ahead of Bryce, Penny, and One-One, leading the expedition to shelter before they could locate the next door to exit the car going forward...

* * *

Although, there were numerous obstacles along the way. For example, the group encountered snakes along the way, which terrified Penny as she found them scaly and creepy. And even when they got past them, the mosquitoes that lived there threatened to bite them as the group constantly swatted at them, whereas Atticus tried to eat them like he ate that spider back in Corginia. But the worst of it was an incident with a poison-dart frog. They encountered it while trying to find their way to shelter in the jungle, and nobody was more frightened of it than Atticus as he heard fables of a venomous frog that could kill a Corgi with one millionth of its poison. Fortunately, the poison-dart frog usually leaves well enough alone if it isn't bothered as he hopped away from the group, giving them their relief. But the true problem is yet to come as hours later, lightning rolled in from behind, giving Penny a scare as she held tightly on his head, afraid of where the lightning could strike as she wondered when they'd reach the end of their trek for the day.

"Are we there yet?"

Taking notice of her worry, Bryce began to wonder that himself. It seemed like this whole thing lasted more than it should have. And even worse, judging from the sound of that lightning, the rain would come down on them any minute. To be sure that Tulip knew what she was doing, Bryce tried to check up with her as she was looking down to a ravine in front of her.

"Tulip, are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course I am. I just got to trace this ravine to the source. People usually live near water, so if we could follow it down, we'd be able to find shelter."

This made One-One's glad voice chime in before the sad one as they seemed to agree on something.

"That sounds like a great idea, Miss Tulip!"

"I just hope I don't get wet."

Given the storm was directly behind them, however, Bryce had a feeling that there wouldn't be enough time to get to shelter without being overcome by the storm if they took the ravine as he objected.

"Yeah, but the ravine is sideways, Tulip. And the storm is just behind us. If we take the ravine, we'll just get caught in the storm."

"Well, do you have a better idea? If you do, I'm all ears."

Just then, Atticus began to pick up a strange scent as his nose sniffled. It was an unfamiliar sensation, at least as far as it concerned the Corgi, so it's safe to assume that it could be helpful in their predicament. And he knew he needed to bring the others in the loop about it.

"Hold on. I'm picking up a strange scent."

As they heard about it, Bryce and Tulip became convinced that he might've picked up something that could help their situation as they turned to the Corgi.

"You are?"

"Well, what is it?"

"It smells like..."

To verify what he has to say, Atticus took a bigger sniff, smelling the same burning of wood like before as Bryce and Tulip simultaneously figured out what it meant.

"Like tender wood, burning itself away."

"Burning wood? Oh, like firewood. But that means..."

"A campfire! Someone else must be here."

"Right. And it's coming from... that direction, along the ravine."

As Atticus pointed to the left side of the ravine, it was shown to lead directly to where the pillar of smoke rose up to the sky. Seeing this, Tulip gave a smirk her way to Bryce before he spoke up in retorsion.

"Okay, that was purely coincidental."

When she heard this description, Penny wanted to take a sniff herself and see if he was right. However, what she smelled was different than how Atticus described it. In fact, she smelled quite the opposite.

"Really? All I smell is rain."

Speaking of rain, Penny felt a drop of it hit her head before she looked up to the sky and saw the clouds above them blocking out the setting sunlight (or as much of it that went through the trees) swarming above them. And if that was any indication, One-One knew that he would get one heck of a shower, and neither glad nor sad side liked it one bit.

"Ahh! Rain clouds!"

"We're next. We're next!"

Seeing his concern, Tulip had an idea that would hopefully save One-One from the rain and stuffed him in her backpack and zipped it up while Bryce took off his jean jacket, along with his backpack before using his jacket to shield Penny from the rain himself after putting his backpack back on as he held it above the little girl before Tulip shouted to Atticus.

"Quick, Atticus! Take us to that campfire!"

As the rain began to pour, Atticus ran along the ravine with Bryce, Tulip, and Penny following him. With the downpour not far away from them, the group also got closer to the campfire which Atticus supposedly smelled, moving through the tree barks that laid in their way as they climbed over them, though in Atticus's case, all he had to do was jump. Even then, the hope of getting to the safety of the campfire was beginning to be lost to the rain as they hurried over with Tulip hoping the smoke up above doesn't go away too soon.

"Come on, please don't die out on us now..."

Fortunately, as Tulip hoped, the smoke didn't blow away too soon as they finally caught up to the source which they supposed to be a campfire in an open cave. However, equally unfortunately, to get there, they needed to scale a rock structure by the trees in front of them, much to Tulip's frustration.

"Aw, come on!"

As Bryce looked up and saw the edge of that wall, he was reminded of when he was in the same situation back in Chicago. Back then, it was to collect what he needed to be able to pay for his parents' expensive medical bills, but now, it's for something more urgent, given their situation. And so, Bryce had an idea as he gave Penny his jacket for her to hold above her head before getting his backpack out and pulling out the rope and hook he used, hoping it could help them. When he did, however, he noticed that one of the edges of the hook was bent towards its base where the rope was tied to it. Normally, he'd hold off on that plan, but with the rain pouring onto them, he refused to spend the rest of the day in the rain.

"It's alright, Tulip. I know how to get up on this."

Thinking quickly, Bryce tossed his roped hook up on the rocky wall before it latched on the edge and he gave a good pull to be sure it was sturdy enough to hold. Once it was done, Bryce looked to the group, as well as a surprised Tulip before he spoke to the others concerning the stamina of the hook.

"Alright. It'll hold, but we need to go about this fast."

"And how do we decide who goes?"

"That's easy. Ladies first."

"Huh?"

* * *

As it turned out, Bryce had already settled on the order of her, One-One, and Penny going up first on the ledge before him and Atticus. Tulip already had boots on, so Bryce felt they should be able to withstand the slipperiness of the rocky wall. When she tried to climb up with her whole body matching the slope as she was vertical with Penny on top of her chest, his theory proved to be accurate so far as they provided a strong foothold for her to make it. However, it wasn't to say that her rock-climbing wasn't difficult, what with Penny's added weight, not to mention her frightened demeanor. In all her life, she'd never been up this high before, so it gave her quite a scare as she held tightly onto Tulip's sides around her back, much to her impediment.

"Hey, take it easy, Penny. We're gonna make it."

"But what if we fall?"

Just then, lightning began to strike near the two, making Penny yelp in fear as she burrowed her head on Tulip's chest before she tried to help her feel better despite how things looked.

"It's alright, Penny. Just hang on, okay?"

With that, Tulip proceeded her climb up on the rocky wall with Penny holding on for dear life. However, just as they could've gotten up to the edge where Tulip tried to reach for it, her boot slipped up due to the wetness of the rock, making her exclaim before she fell with Penny, making Bryce and Atticus worried as they gasped. As they fell, however, Tulip was able to recover by grabbing onto the rope with one hand before grabbing Penny with the other by her leg, leaving her dangling upside-down as she panted from how sudden it was before she was lifted up to see Tulip's face as she spoke.

"See? I told you I wouldn't let that happen."

As Penny smiled from Tulip's words, Bryce tried to check with the two of them, worried that the little girl would be too shaken to continue any further before earning Tulip's reply as she lifted Penny up enough for her to hold on to her shoulders so that she could hold onto her to keep from falling.

"Hey, guys! You okay up there?!"

"Yeah, Bryce! I slipped, but we're fine!"

From there, Tulip proceeded to look up to the edge she was close to reaching only to fall short (literally). As she looked up, she knew it was familiar as it reminded her of gym class. It wasn't necessarily her favorite, but if it had the time to remind her of anything useful, it'd be now as she took a deep breath before she psyched herself up.

"Okay, Tulip. You can climb this. It's just like gym class. Yeah! Yeah, it's like gym class..."

As she spoke to herself, Tulip began to climb up on the rope as her hands and legs went up along it. It wasn't the best way to climb as far as Tulip was concerned, but it seemed to be working for the moment. When they got close enough to the edge of the wall again, Tulip looked to Penny before she tried to ask her a favor.

"Okay, Penny. See that ledge up there?"

Tight as she held her arms around her head, Penny looked up to the ledge as she asked before looking back to her.

"Yeah."

"I need you to get on my shoulders and climb up, okay?"

This made Penny a bit worried to be sure. She already fell down once. Odds are, it'll happen again with this rain. But then again, Tulip was around to catch her that time. The more she remembered that, the more Penny became willing to try. It was in that moment that she turned to Tulip and smiled to her.

"I think I can try."

With that, Penny began to use her legs to try to lift herself up as she had to put one over Tulip's shoulder before using her leg to stand up as she placed her other leg on her other shoulder, making Tulip wince as she felt her weight pressing on her. And as if that weren't enough, she took notice of the hook beginning to break off as the support that it latched on was beginning to break off, making her worried as she tried to tell Penny to pick up the pace.

"Please hurry, Penny!"

At that moment, Penny tried to reach for the edge, only to come up an inch short. To solve that problem, Penny tried to leap before remembering how high she was. Upon doing so, Penny began to look down and see how high up she was, making her whimper at the height of it before Tulip tried to help her out.

"Penny, don't look down. Just look up. I know you can do it."

As Penny heard Tulip's words, she became relieved before looking up and seeing the edge just within her grasp. She was able to reach it before with her tippy toes. Penny could try that again, but with the hook beginning to break off from her and Tulip's combined weight, she's worried that it wouldn't be able to hold the both of them even if she tried that. So, rather than to let it break off, Penny decided to act quickly as she leaped up and grabbed onto the edge before she pulled herself up. With that done, Penny looked down to Tulip, letting her know that she was able to find safety as she sighed.

"I made it!"

"Ah, thank goodness."

With that, Penny held her hand out to Tulip, letting her take it before she tried to pull her up with a hard grunt as the tween let herself be lifted by her hand and pulled up onto the edge as Penny fell backward. With the two of them in the apparent shelter, Tulip took notice of Penny as she sat up before trying to check up on her, hoping she didn't hurt herself.

"Penny, you doing alright?"

"Uh-huh. Did you see what I did?"

"Yeah. I didn't know you had it in you."

As Penny made a smile and a giggle from seeing Tulip's surprise, the two of them heard Bryce's shouting from below before they went to check on him.

"Tulip! Penny! Did you make it up alright?! Is there anyone else up with you?!"

Before Tulip could respond, she remembered when she noticed the hook breaking off of the edge. If it was barely stable enough for both her and Penny, Tulip didn't want to think about what could happen if Bryce and Atticus tried it simultaneously. And on top of that, Tulip and Penny couldn't find anyone else other than themselves in the cave, evident by the lone campfire's flames dying out. Whoever was in here must've cleared out when the rain hit, or even beforehand. But who could've been here before them? That was an answer Tulip didn't have as she replied back to him.

"Yeah! But we'll need to reinforce your hook! It almost broke off with me and Penny pulling on it! And no one else seems to be around!"

This made Bryce worried to hear that. Just happening to have a hook with him by itself was already enough to give cause for a confession, but if she found out that the hook was busted, it'll turn into an interrogation. And this was something he's determined to avoid as he tried to change the subject by putting the focus on another problem of his.

"Okay, well can you hurry? We're stuck in the rain here."

"I'll see what I can do!"

With that, Tulip got to work on placing the hook on a more stable edge as she removed the hook, taking notice that one of the three edges of it was closer to its base than it should be. As much as it made her curious, Tulip felt there'd be an explanation for his hook's condition for after they get to shelter. To compensate for the hook, Tulip found a sturdy rock just close to the edge, though she needed to be sure that it was.

"Okay, let's see if you can stay in one place."

To test its durability, Tulip placed her foot on it and tried to move it as she pushed on it with enough force to try to jolt it loose. Once it was shown that it didn't budge, Tulip knew she'd found just the rock as she smiled before looking to the hook in her hand. Since one end of it was bent, however that happened, Tulip had an idea on how to use that as she looked to Penny.

"Penny, think you can wrap this rope around that rock?"

As an answer, she gave a nod before walking over to her and held out her hands for the rope before Tulip gave it to her. After which, Penny walked to the rock as she wrapped the rope near the hook's base around it before Tulip used the bent end to clip it in place. Of course, the true test remained as Tulip shouted to Bryce.

"Okay! Try giving it a pull!"

Per Tulip's instruction, Bryce gave it a tug, causing the rope to be pulled, although it didn't go far with the way Tulip had tied it as it stayed in place. At this point, both parties above and below could tell that it worked as Tulip informed Bryce of this.

"It worked! The hook should be able to hold you guys!"

As Bryce gave a sigh of relief from hearing this, mainly because Tulip didn't interrogate him just yet, Atticus looked up to him, wondering how they could even manage to climb up the rocky wall as the Corgi pondered aloud.

"So, how do you propose we scale this wall?"

Upon being asked this, Bryce began to realize this flaw himself. In the midst of their escape from the downpour of rain, he realized too late that bringing Atticus along meant that he'd have to carry him. And last time he checked, he is no fan of being carried. As he tried to figure out how else to go about it (without bringing his backpack into this), Tulip became a bit confused herself as he seemed to be taking his time.

"Oh. Right..."

"Are you guys coming up or what?"

"In a minute! We just need to figure out how to go about it!"

Hearing this answer, Tulip can understand why. Back in Corginia, she had to carry Atticus over the river, and he didn't want to be carried since he was a proud Corgi, as his people usually are. So she had a feeling that it's gonna be a while before they both get up top. And in that amount of time, it'd be as good a time as any to look around the place and see whose campfire it was as she kept Bryce in the loop about it.

"Okay. Well, Penny and I are going to warm up a little bit while we wait!"

"Alright! Just be careful!"

With Bryce in the loop on what they're doing, Tulip looked over to Penny just in time to see her go by the campfire. Considering how heavy the rain was outside, Tulip had a feeling that she must've been very wet from its downpour. Everyone else was wet, after all. Then again, Tulip was sure that One-One would be safe from that. However, the moment he entered her mind, she realized that she almost forgot about him in her backpack as she took it off and unzipped it to see One-One still in one piece, which came as a relief to her for the most part. Still, she needed to be sure as Tulip asked him about his condition before his glad side answered.

"One-One, you holding up okay?"

"I think so. I mean, I don't feel wet. Plus, this pink jacket feels soft to the touch."

"Phew. That's good."

Just then, Penny gave a sneeze, catching Tulip's attention as she looked over to her by the dim fireplace. When she saw the little girl practically shivering with only a lukewarm campfire to warm her up, Tulip couldn't help but feel bad for her. After what she just went through, it's not right to leave her like this. At that moment, Tulip looked down to see her pink jacket that was stashed in her backpack before getting it out and walking over to Penny with it as she sat down by her.

"Hey. You look like you'll need this."

One look at what Tulip had in her hands was enough to lighten Penny's spirits as she gasped before grabbing it and putting it on, feeling warmer than she did a moment ago. Seeing the smile on her face that came as a result, Tulip couldn't help but hug her, though she realized that she was a bit wet herself, so she had to contain herself while she inquired to her.

"How do you feel?"

"Toasty."

"Good."

As Penny got warmed up, Tulip decided to lay down as she sighed, hoping to decompress from the day they had. Of course, she did say that they'd look around, but it wouldn't be wise to do that if they're wet. They could slip and hurt themselves. Bearing that in mind, warming up would be the wiser thing to do beforehand, or at best, the next morning would be preferable for a look around in the cave. At the same time, Penny looked over to Tulip's hand and saw that her number was glowing, immediately making her curious. Remembering Ms. Tabitha's warning about the passengers, Penny became curious how someone as nice as her could've ended up on the train. And she tried to find that out herself as she laid down next to her, resting on her arm.

"Hey, Tulip?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you have a number?"

That was the question of the day for Tulip, alright. It always had been for the past month now. Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer then, and she didn't have it now.

"I don't know. Bryce and I have been on this train for a week. You've been on it your whole life. I'm the one who should be asking you. But... I don't know. You probably don't know much about it any more than we do."

Heeding Tulip's answer, Penny tried to indulge her about everything she knew about the number according to her caretaker.

"Well... I know some things."

Upon hearing Penny's reply to it, Tulip became hooked to this conversation quickly. This whole time, her answers about the number on her hand have been with her. The very realization itself was enough to make her surprised. Then and there, Tulip wanted to ask her the questions on her mind, but she remembered that she's still a little child. Besides, it may imply that she didn't know everything about the number on her hand, so it may be too soon to get her hopes up so quickly. So, she tried to keep the conversation casual despite this turn of events.

"You do?! Wait... you said 'some things'. Like what?"

"Ms. Tabby told me that people with numbers aren't always nice people."

With the conversation taking a darker turn than she expected, Tulip became surprised to hear that much as One-One's sad side concurred with her on the matter. Could there have been other passengers before her and Bryce? And if so, what could Penny mean by that?

"Tell me about it. You think they're friends, but then, they stab you in the back."

"Really? What gave you that idea?"

This made Penny a bit nervous to say. It always unnerved her just to think of it. It was partly why she asked Bryce about his own number. Sadly, he had just as much a clue about it as Tulip did. Although, the both of them proved to be more nice than how Ms. Tabitha described them. So, she was a bit worried how they'd react to this truth.

"Well... it happened when I was little, but... they cut Ms. Tabby's arm really bad."

If this wasn't a jolt on Tulip, she wouldn't know what was. How could any passenger do such a thing? It's no wonder Penny was nervous around her when they first met. And she could only assume how nervous she must've been around Bryce when he adopted her.

"Is that why you were so scared around me when we met before?"

"Kinda... but I know better now. Like I said, you guys are good to me."

As Penny reaffirmed her standing on Tulip and Bryce, she couldn't help but smile at the little girl. Despite how she acted throughout the whole journey to the engine, Penny was willing to be beside her once she got used to her. In a way, it's made her feel as though Penny would be like a daughter to her, another reminder of how close the five (six counting One-One's other personality) came to be since then. It wouldn't be the first time she felt that way, but now, she's hopping it won't be the last as she gave her a hug, making Penny caught a bit off-guard at this before she smiled back to Tulip.

"Thanks, Penny. It really means a lot."

"You're welcome."

Just then, they heard grunting from far away before Penny and Tulip looked to see Bryce climbing up on the edge with Atticus around his head, his legs over the young man's shoulders while his backpack kept His Majesty from falling off of him.

"Guys...! I'm here!"

As she heard his voice shouting to her, Tulip went over to him to help pull him and Atticus up as she held her hand out to him.

"I gotcha, Bryce."

Seeing her hand in front of him, Bryce tried to take her hand with his as he reached for it before they connected together, letting her pull him and Atticus up, though it was a bit difficult with the Corgi on his shoulders. Despite the weight, however, Tulip was able to pull the two of them into the cave as Atticus leaped onto the floor adjacent to Tulip and Bryce. As the two of them looked to Atticus, they noticed how incredibly wet he was, which should come as no surprise by now as the King of Corginia noticed this himself, but was thankful for how Bryce thought of a way up nonetheless.

"Thank you, Bryce. Your quick-thinking has provided us some shelter. Although, I can't help but feel my fur has gotten a bit... drenched"

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't stop you from getting wet."

"No need to apologize. I can handle this from here."

With that, Atticus began to shake himself, splashing the water everywhere around him as he dried himself off. When he was all done, Atticus felt that he was all dry enough as his fur didn't feel so soggy anymore.

"Ah, that's better."

Once Atticus solved his problem with his fur, Tulip couldn't help but be curious about how he was able to cooperate with Bryce since he hated being picked up.

"How did you guys get up? I thought you hated being picked up."

"I do. So, instead, I had the privilege of riding his shoulders like a throne I could lay in, not that I had any choice but to do so."

As Atticus cleared it up with Tulip, Bryce looked around in the cave for the campfire that was supposed to be inside, hoping it's still good to use.

"Okay, so where's the campfire?"

As an answer, Penny shouted far away as she waved to him, letting him know that she was close by.

"Over here!"

Bryce then took notice of Penny who had on her sweater before he went over to her, relieved that she's feeling better since she nearly fell off.

"Hey, Penny. You feeling okay?"

"A little. But the fire's getting smaller."

With only a small lit flame remaining on the firewood, Bryce could see how dim the fire was getting. The rate it's going, it was only a matter of time before it completely fades away. And when it does, so does their chance of getting the warmth they needed. Of course, it wasn't to discount their jackets, but since they've gotten incredulously wet from the heavy rainfall, they'd be no help in this situation. And they can't go out for firewood unless they want to catch a cold. So, Bryce had to come up with a classic camping trick that could help get the fire going.

"Maybe I can fix that. Let's see... where could I find two more sticks?"

While Bryce tried to figure out where to find the two sticks in the cave to use, Atticus remembered the conversation between him and the young man. Last he recalled, Bryce had trouble trying to tell him what was on his mind. And evidently, Atticus felt as though that it's beginning to eat him up. Although it wasn't any of his business, if there was a time to help him out with this situation, it'd be now. And the way to do that was to speak with the person of interest about it.

Speaking of, Tulip was looking out to the rainy weather, the rainforest living up to its name. Having been told Penny's point of view on people that had numbers marked on them, it gave her a lot to think about. Who knows what kind of passenger they'll find, if they're lucky enough to find any at all? If they do find a passenger, would they be a friend or a foe? And considering how the campfire was left behind, Tulip began to wonder if this belonged to another passenger who got to this car. And there's one more thing to consider: if what Penny says is true, what would that say about Bryce himself? Her mind wrapping around the issue, she couldn't help but stare at her number, which remained a constant "85" so far, unaware that Atticus was walking over to her, catching her off guard as he tried to tell her something.

"Excuse me, Tulip?"

"Huh? Oh, Atticus. What is it?"

"While I realize that we're still recovering from the dangers of this jungle today, there's something that I feel is important to let you know. And it's not that I'm in need of a tummy rub again."

Knowing how often he liked having those, Tulip found it unlikely as she raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Most assuredly. Though, of course, I would still like one. But that's beside the point. You see, Bryce has something on his mind that he's been trying over and over again to tell you."

As she heard this information from Atticus, Tulip felt that it must be about how he felt throughout this whole journey. Of course, he'd already made them clear in the Crystal Car before, at least she'd think that. But then, she began to think about another implication of it. What could be the point in trying over and over to tell her about how he felt again? To find out what the topic was about exactly, Tulip tried to find it out from Atticus, only to earn a rebuttal to that from him.

"Well, what is it about?"

"I can't say at the moment. But I have a feeling that it's going to be between you and Bryce."

Delivered such a cryptic response, Tulip was a little miffed that it wasn't in specific detail as Atticus walked away from her and towards the group. Though, Atticus may have a point about what he started the conversation with. It may be too soon to talk about it now after surviving the perils of this car. For now, they all needed to rest up while they can and get ready for the next day of their long journey as she went over to the group, seeing that Bryce had finally found the sticks to help light up the campfire again, but was having difficulty succeeding, leaving her no choice but to step in.

"Hold on, Bryce. Let me help you with that."

But as Tulip offered to help Bryce, none of them knew that someone was on top of a tree, watching them from afar in the form of the same cloaked figure that attacked Corginia. And this figure was none too happy about the scene between them. She knew very well what he did in the past, and the fact that they're getting along in spite of it was sickening to her. Perhaps they didn't know what he had done. A problem she intended to rectify, once and for all...

"Enjoy your fun while it lasts, Bryce. It's going to end forever..."

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining on the rainforest that has now ceased its downpour for the moment. As it did, it also began to shine on the group as they were laying on the ground with Bryce and Tulip (who now had her hair down and was sans glasses) having Penny in-between then while Atticus was sleeping near their feet and One-One was near Tulip's head. As it turned out, they didn't exactly have a sleeping bag to sleep in, so they were forced to sleep without blankets or pillows. This wasn't the ideal sleeping situation, but they had little choice. As the sun shone upon them, Tulip and Bryce began to wake up from the sunlight as they yawned, opening their eyes to see a beautiful horizon just ahead of them. On another note, Bryce and Tulip took notice of how close they were to each other, instantly taking them by surprise as they turned away, the blushes evident on their faces. Despite it, they each gave a smile just as Tulip picked up her glasses and saw that they've gone a bit foggy from the humidity last night and rubbed it with her shirt before getting back to business as she clapped her hands.

"Okay, guys. Time to wake up. On the double."

Due to the volume of the clapping that echoed in the open cave, Penny, Atticus, and One-One had no choice but to wake up as they began to yawn, trying to open their eyes, only to be forced to block the sun with their hand or paw. In One-One's case, though, he was forced to make his eyes adjust to the sunlight as his sad side found it difficult to even try. Although, at the same time, his glad half was all the more ready to greet the morning as the two halves split up.

"Can't I sleep some more...?"

"Ah, what a beautiful day. What's on the menu today, Ms. Tulip?"

Truth be told, Tulip had no clue about that either. They only arrived in this car yesterday, and due to trying to escape from the rain, they didn't stick around long enough to think of a way to get them. It wasn't of high import back then, but today, it's necessary to at least find something to eat that'll fill their stomachs before they look for an exit door out of this car and on to the next one. From up where they are, it shouldn't be too hard to find food from a high vantage point, as well as the exit door. Keeping this in mind, Tulip replied to One-One about the agenda for today.

"Well, first up, we'll be getting some breakfast. Then, we'll be headed to the next car like always. Sound good?"

Considering that it was a bit too quick to look for breakfast, Penny only gave another yawn as she agreed.

"I guess."

Atticus, on the other hand, opposed this idea as he cleared his throat before moving his head to his left, which was in the direction Bryce happened to be as Tulip turned to him before she recalled what Atticus told her last night. She remembered that he had something important to tell her. What she couldn't work out then was why it's so important or what it could be about. Regardless, there's only one way to find out as Tulip made a change to her plan. She was also taking into account that the others would go hungry before they come back with food. Luckily, she'd planned for that with a bag of candy that she and Bryce got from one of the cars they went to before.

"Or, if you guys are still tired, you can just stay here and rest some more while Bryce and I look for breakfast. If you guys get hungry, you can have something from my backpack, but don't eat all of it."

Upon hearing this from Tulip, Bryce became surprised about this news as his blush returned while Penny and Sad One became relieved as he could finally catch up on some sleep whereas Glad One felt the morning was too important to miss out on.

"Wait, w-what?"

"Really?"

"Bless you."

"But it's so nice out. Why can't I—"

Before Glad One could suggest accompanying them, Atticus put his paw on top of him before he quickly rushed Bryce and Tulip to this course casually.

"Oh, by all means. It's quite alright. I shall keep watch on the others until you return."

As Atticus gave a small wink to Bryce's way, he realized that this facade was his doing. He must've somehow convinced her to talk with him about what was on his mind. It would've been a good thing if it weren't for how terrible his secret is. Though, he can't say it was his fault since he got the wrong idea about what was on his mind, though he didn't quite know that at the moment. At this point, he didn't know whether to thank him or curse him as Tulip accepted Atticus's offer, knowing how capable he is to look after them himself as witnessed in Corginia before she overlooked most of the rainforest.

"Thanks, Atticus. We'll be back soon. But first..."

While Tulip scouted for the path to food, as well as the exit door, Bryce went over to Atticus and kept the conversation quiet as he whispered.

"What did you do?"

"I just told Tulip that you had something important to discuss with her."

"What?! I didn't ask you to do that!"

"There may never be another opportunity for you to talk to her like this again. I had to."

Before they could continue their hushed conversation further, Tulip had finished plotting a course for a nearby area where food would be (in the form of cocoa trees) and the exit door, shown to have a bridge just in front of it with a chasm below it.

"Okay. Got it all mapped out on my journal. Ready to go, Bryce?"

"Sure. I'll be right over."

With that, Bryce went over to Tulip as she climbed down the rope while he gave a glare to Atticus that told him he should mind his own business, only to be countered with a smug look from Atticus that told him he'd thank him later. Then, Bryce began to climb down on the rope as he thought to himself, trying to psych himself up to telling her the truth about himself.

"_Okay, Bryce. This is a game-changer. Whether it's for better or worse, I don't know. But either way, she has to know. They all do. I can't keep lying about it anymore...!"_

That's what Bryce thought in his mind. But he wasn't entirely ready to do it yet as he heard Tulip speaking to him, cutting off his train of thought before he tried to avoid making the situation worse.

"Hey, you doing okay?"

"Uh... yeah! Yeah, just thinking to myself here. So, where are we going?"

With that, Tulip and Bryce walked towards the path to their breakfast as Atticus watched from above. While he did so, Penny came up beside him and was curious about one thing on her mind, considering that she's starting to get hungry and validating Tulip's thought on the situation. She could've asked Tulip and/or Bryce, but as Atticus offered to be in charge of them, Penny felt it best to ask him for the moment.

"Can I have a snack?"

* * *

Later, Tulip and Bryce were knocking off the fruit from the cocoa tree, which were colored brown like chocolate) as they threw rocks at them to get them down. They could have used Bryce's hook and rope to pull them down, but then how would Penny, Atticus, and One-One get back down when they needed to, especially since it's much more difficult for Atticus to even try to get down by himself? So, for now, they had to stick with this method, primitive as it was. As they collected the fruit that fell off, Tulip remembered how quick Bryce was to pull out his hook and rope, and became curious why he didn't get it out before. When she began to ask about it, Bryce started to get nervous, afraid that it might be getting a bit fast for him.

"Hey, Bryce? I don't know if it's any of my business, but since last night, there's something I've been meaning to ask."

"Yeah? Uh, like what?"

"Where'd you get that rope and hook? We could've totally used it in a bunch of different cars, you know."

When Bryce realized what the topic was about, he began to loosen up a bit.

"Oh. Well, I... didn't think we needed it yet. And besides, it's got a dink on one of the edges, so it wouldn't have been as helpful."

Reminded of how she noticed the dinked edge herself, Tulip couldn't help but wonder what crossed his mind to rely on the hook despite it, causing Bryce to tense his hand on the rock he held in his palm, reliving the scene that happened as Tulip and Penny fell, however temporary it was.

"But you used it anyway."

As Tulip said this, even the memory of her and Penny falling was nothing compared to the memory of the news of his parents' crash as a flashback played, showing his grandmother sobbing hysterically as Bryce could only growl at himself for not preventing this before punching a wall.

"I had to. With all of us in danger, I couldn't think of anything else to do."

As Bryce lingered in that memory, he chucked his rock towards a cocoa fruit and knocked it off the tree before it fell to the floor. While the fruit rolled afterwards, Tulip could tell that this situation wasn't exactly ideal for him. She could understand that, in a way; it wasn't exactly the ideal situation for her, either. Still, Tulip grew curious about what he must mean by what he said. The way he chucked that rock told her that he must not have had it easy back then.

"Was it always like that for you back home?"

Sensing what she was trying to do, Bryce tried to calm himself down. It was the point of what Atticus did, after all. Though, it's safe to say he had no idea what was on his mind. All the same, it could help make it easier to explain what he did by giving out his reasons first. That didn't mean it won't hurt to think about it again.

"It was never like that back home. But... the one time that it was, I... I couldn't do anything."

Assaulted by the memory of his parents in hospital beds in his brain, Bryce could only shed a tear from that, much to Tulip's sympathy as she went over to him.

"What happened to you?"

"Back home at Chicago, I used to live with my mom and dad. When I was a kid, they were always the ones who picked up the slack for me. I wasn't always an angel to them, but... they loved me anyway. There's no way I could've been able to pay that debt, even with all the money in the world. But, one night... they told me that they were going to go on a date. I should've told them not to go, but I wanted them to be happy. The next morning... I heard from the officer that they got into a car accident. My grandmother and I came to the hospital as soon as we heard. The doctors said they could help them if we had the money, but... we didn't have the funding for it. After that, I couldn't believe it... how could it have happened to them? They didn't deserve to be hurt like that... it's not fair."

Being on the verge of crying at what he considered to be his moment of weakness, Bryce struggled to hold back his tears, to be strong near Tulip. Much to his confusion, however, Tulip already figured out how much he's been hurt ever since that day. This must be what Atticus wanted to have her talk to him about. He must've sensed that he didn't want the others to get hurt because of him, and Atticus must not have wanted him to blame himself for what could happen to them. That must be why it was between the two of them, at least that's what Tulip assumed. Either way, Tulip could tell he needed the comfort as she held her arms around his sides, hugging him as she went closer.

"I had no idea. I'm so sorry that it happened to you, Bryce."

As he felt her comfort wrapped around him, Bryce could've sworn he was being hugged by his mother. While it was comforting, he wasn't sure if he could live with the guilt of what he'd done afterwards, trying to explain himself.

"You shouldn't be... after what happened to them, I—"

Before he was given the chance to explain what he'd done as a result, Bryce was shushed by Tulip, her finger over his mouth.

"You don't have to tell me. It's okay."

Being told this by Tulip easily came as a shock to him. He spent all this time trying to explain himself just for that? Could it not have mattered to her at all, or did she interpret how worried he is about everyone and the source of that worry as the main topic? For this, he had no answer. But at the same time, it's made him feel better, more so than he'd ever been. Maybe he didn't have to tell them after all...

"Come on, Bryce. Let's go bring those fruit to the others."

"Okay."

Having settled that conversation, Bryce and Tulip began to load up the fruit they've collected to bring with them. In that moment, however, they didn't notice that the two of them were being watched by the mysterious figure that spies on them the night before. And the whole scene she saw before her was _sickening. _How could she turn a blind eye to the horrible things he'd done? How could she so easily call him a friend of all things?! Wasn't there any justice left?!

"Not if I can help it..."

* * *

Later, Bryce, Penny, Tulip, Atticus, and One-One were well on their way to the exit door by now. The two of them that left to get some cocoa fruit had decided to call the others down to go to the exit door and eat their bounty with Bryce leading the way. To their surprise, they tasted a lot like chocolate candy bars, much to Penny's satisfaction. The idea of it seemed to have confounded Tulip, however, given that back home their taste was actually bitter because of how unsweetened it is. But she's grateful it didn't work like that on the train, and Penny was just as eager for it as One-One's glad side felt it was obvious, though Tulip would say different.

"This is so good! I didn't know it tasted like chocolate!"

"Of course it does. It is a cocoa fruit, right, Ms. Tulip?"

"Yeah, but... they don't normally taste like that."

Not willing to believe it, One-One's sad side tried to contradict her.

"How do _you _know?"

With Tulip and One-One continuing their debate, Bryce turned to Atticus to see how things went on his end. It must not have been easy to look after Penny for as long as they've been gone.

"So, how did it go, Atticus?"

"I believe it went very swimmingly. There was a bit of a snack emergency with Penny, so naturally, I heeded the call."

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm just glad Penny's alright."

In that moment, Penny's stomach began to grumble before she was forced to hold her belly. Whatever she ate, it did not give her a good feeling in her stomach as she groaned while her face turned green, catching Tulip's concern.

"Tulip... I don't feel so good."

"It's okay. We'll just stop here for a bit until you're all better."

"No time! I... I think I'm about to—!"

Before Penny could finish, she began trying to hold her mouth long enough to run to somewhere nobody would notice, which was coincidentally behind one of the trees next to him. Instinctively, she ran to it and began to vomit as much as she could of the excess of food in her belly. Taking notice of the scene, Bryce began to have a feeling who was responsible for it as he looked over to the now sheepish Atticus, embarrassed that she had to puke her guts out.

"Okay, how much of the snacks did you give her?"

"The whole bag. I didn't think she'd eat so many..."

It was a bit of an annoyance for Penny to be sick like that to say the least, but Bryce knew it wasn't Atticus's fault. It must've been his first time looking after children like this. And even if it wasn't, this children was, no doubt, completely different from the children of Corginia. However, it didn't mean that Bryce wasn't upset.

"Okay, next time. I'm babysitting."

When Penny was all done upchucking the excess food, she was panting hard as she was leaning against the tree, trying to keep herself steady as Bryce checked up on her while wiping the leftovers from her lips.

"Hey, you doing okay, Penny?"

"Mm-mm."

"Well, better out than in, right?"

Sometime later after the situation was resolved with Penny riding on his shoulders to rest, they continued their trek to the exit door. When they got there, Bryce parted the leaves in front of them to notice a bridge just up ahead of them, and along with it, the exit door for the car in sight. This was it. The way out of this humid car is just beyond their grasp... On the other hand, the fact that a mere bridge led to it might be suspicious in itself. Would it even be stable enough for them all to walk on it? Bryce didn't quite know how to work it out from there without taking such a risk as to take that chance. Tulip seemed to acknowledge that, too as she turned to him.

"Well, we're here. But... something doesn't feel right."

"I know, Tulip. It can't be this easy."

One-One's glad nature didn't quite see how it was the case before his sad personality got to the heart of the matter. Looking at the bridge, though, it seems stable enough for one person or two to walk on it. Whatever the case, Bryce had to be sure to check himself.

"Sure it is. We just walk on that bridge, and then we're home free."

"Or we could all fall to our deaths."

"I don't know. I mean, it looks stable enough for one person to go, but not all of us. I think I'll have to test it to be sure."

If she and him didn't have that talk the way they did not long ago, Tulip would've agreed to it. But now that she knows how scared he is of losing the people he cares about, she's determined to help him realize they could hold their own, too. And on another note, he's holding Penny at the moment, so it surely wouldn't make him feel any better if she went down with him. When Tulip tried to interfere, however, Bryce immediately tried to deny this from happening, as expected.

"Actually... I think I should try this."

"What? But, Tulip—"

"It's gonna be okay, Bryce. Besides, I'm not sure you should try if you're holding Penny like this."

"But what if the bridge breaks down with you on it?"

Before Tulip could respond, a familiar distorted voice boomed behind them, urging them all to turn and see someone they hoped never to see again.

"Only one way to find out."

Upon seeing this figure, Bryce couldn't help but be mortified as he gasped harshly, the memories of his short torture at her hands flooding his mind. Everything about her practically gave him the chills. Her almost robotic voice, her terrifying arsenal, all of it pales in comparison to the one thing that terrified him the most. She knew everything about what he'd done in Chicago. But why could she be here of all places? Was she waiting all that time just for them? Whatever the reason, one thing was certain: she was his worst nightmare. And he's wishing with all his heart to wake up.

"No...! Not you again!"

"Aw, that's rude. And I went through all the trouble of giving you your own campfire, too..."

As Tulip heard this statement, she figured out what it meant. When they got here, they've always wondered who it belonged to since it was still fresh, dim as the fire was back then. Now that they know who it belonged to, Tulip didn't take it lightly at all.

"So it was _your _campfire!"

"Kudos to you for figuring that out. Not that it'll make a difference."

With the figure escalating Bryce's nervousness to a level he never wanted to experience, Tulip looked to him out of worry. Maybe it was while she was busy with the monster, but she's never seen him so nervous before. And it's beginning to make her scared herself, though Tulip wasn't alone on this as Penny became just as concerned.

"Bryce, are you okay?"

"Why are you so scared?"

Seeing her concern for Bryce, the figure began to get agitated, and did not hesitate to show it as she glared at Tulip.

"If you knew what he's done, you wouldn't be so concerned about him. He's been using you all from the very beginning..."

"What are you talking about?! Bryce would never do that!"

"Wouldn't he?"

As the figure pressed her accusations, her now modified gauntlet shot out a bolo at Bryce, only for Tulip to take the blow as she pushed him and Penny away before it caught her by her chest and arms, knocking her onto the middle of the bridge that shook from the impact of her landing. Fortunately for her, it didn't cause the bridge to break apart, but that was hardly the issue as the figure considered it a stroke of luck.

"Well, well, well. Looks like it can hold."

Seeing Tulip in the figure's trap as she struggled to break free, Bryce can't deny that he's now feeling powerless. He tried everything to avoid this kind of thing but still... still it came to pass like this. And to top it off, this anonymous attacker was going to be the one to tell them. Never had Bryce been more afraid since hearing of his parents' crash. As Bryce developed a mental breakdown from the shock of all that's happening around him, clutching his head with his hands and trying to convince himself that it isn't happening, Penny was beginning to get just as scared as he was doing nothing to help Tulip.

"No, no, no...! It can't be real! It's not real...! It just can't be...!"

"Bryce, what's wrong? Why can't you move? Snap out of it!"

Witnessing Bryce in that fragile state, this frightening figure saw no pity to be had with him. In fact, she delighted in his suffering as she chuckled.

"Poor little Bryce. Scared of his own shadow. And I haven't even started yet."

Just then, Atticus attempted to retaliate by lunging at her as he growled before sinking his fangs into her gauntlet, having learned from last time that it disabled her weaponry. This time, however, there was no such luck as the moment he sunk his fangs into it, Atticus received a minimum voltage charge on his body in a short burst, knocking him away from the assailant as he landed on the ground with a loud thud, causing Bryce to snap out of his fearful stupor as he and Penny turned to notice him damaged as well as the trapped Tulip before she easily became worried for him.

"Atticus!"

Taking note of her concern, the figure turned to Tulip before she addressed his condition, as far as she expected it to be as Atticus groaned.

"You can relax. I just gave him a minimum charge from my gauntlet. Not enough to kill, but it should teach him for biting into my armory. Now where was I?"

Unfortunately for this sinister silhouette, her electric counter on Atticus shook Bryce from his panic attack and reminded him of his situation. Everything that is happening is real, whether he wanted it to be or not. And considering what's most likely to happen, and what has occurred already, this was no time for him to be a coward. Whether or not they know the truth, his friends— no. His family means more to him than anything, and he wasn't going to let them be taken away from him the second time. To be sure of that, he looked to Penny with a look of determination.

"Penny, I need you to look after Atticus for me. I'll go help Tulip."

"But what if you get scared again?"

"I'll be fine. Just watch him!"

Immediately, Bryce made a dash for the figure as he shouted, catching her attention before she countered with a punch to the gut, knocking him to the floor, surprised at how he rebounded so quickly since he was cowering a moment before. At the same time, One-One rolled over to Tulip, recovering from the push that came from the impact the bolos gave on Tulip. As he rolled over to her, she saw her chance escape, what with her legs being the only limbs not trapped and all. She could jump up by herself then and there, but the figure would notice that, or worse, it could bring the bridge down to the river below, and her along with it. As Tulip tried to think of another chance at escape, One-One got her attention as he popped out his legs while his glad side checked on her.

"One-One!"

"Do you need some help, Miss Tulip?"

"Yeah. Do you think you can get me loose?"

"Wouldn't hurt to try."

While the robot got to work on freeing her by unraveling the bolo on top of her chest, the figure expressed her surprise to the angry Bryce.

"Hmm. I guess I was wrong. You've yet to be broken. Then again, I shouldn't be too upset. Because now, I get to make you suffer as I expose you."

"Who do you think you are?!"

"Oh, that's right. I've never introduced myself, have I? For now, call me Night Shroud."

At the moment, Tulip could care less about who she was called. The only thing she worried about at the moment was what she meant, though it's not to discredit her current situation. Trapped or not, Tulip would never abandon Bryce, no matter what she says. She knew for a fact that Bryce would never use her for this, especially since he's helped her so far. She knew Bryce for who he was: a loyal friend to the end, and she's more than willing to stand by him as One-One expressed his opinion about her name to her.

"I kinda like that name. Sounds spooky and foreboding."

This caught Night Shroud in a loop as she became flabbergasted for a moment.

"What?! How did you—?!"

Taking advantage of the surprise, Tulip kicked Night Shroud away as she unraveled herself at the same time before she stood up, defending Bryce for the person he is.

"I don't care who you are. You don't know the first thing about Bryce."

"And you do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The only reason he ever brought you along with him was not because he cares for you, or because he needs you. It's because you're nothing more than a means to an end."

"What...?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why he wouldn't let you look in that backpack of his? It's because what he holds inside is far more precious than either of you. In fact, once he finds a way out, he won't have any use for you anymore. And the girl? She's nothing more than dead weight to him. You'll just be left alone, abandoned by the very person you called a friend."

Sensing what Night Shroud was trying to do, Bryce tried to help Tulip think straight about the situation. At this point, he could care less if she tells the truth with the peril his friends are in, but if Night Shroud is telling them lies about how he feels as an attempt to break his heart, that was an easy way to cross the line. And she still persisted no matter how hard Bryce tried to help her see through her apparent lies.

"Don't listen to her, Tulip! She's messing with your head!"

"You can't trust this man, not with the secret he's keeping from you!"

As the two fought over Tulip's allegiance, which was something Bryce never imagined he had to do, he took her personal feelings into account given the situation. Contrary to what Night Shroud told her, he did care for her, as much as he cared for his family back home. And he'd do anything to keep her safe... even if it meant to tell the truth himself. Way back when, he wasn't sure he was ready for this, but now, it's the only thing he could think of. Before he could try, however, he noticed Tulip's glance to Night Shroud becoming a glare.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"What?"

As Night Shroud was caught in a daze from such a response, Bryce became just as confused about it. Was she talking about him or her? To sum it up, Tulip explained how she figured it out while making Bryce surprised that she didn't question him about how much they meant to him.

"Maybe Bryce was hiding a few things when we first met. But so what? Like I said, you don't know the first thing about Bryce. He'd never turn his back on his friends, least of all his sister. She especially meant everything to him. She, of all people, would be the last person he'll ever give up on. And if you're gonna try and convince me otherwise... get some proof!"

As she finished her sentence strongly, Tulip picked up One-One and tossed her at Night Shroud, hitting her mask where the mouth would be while ricocheting him to Penny and the recovering Atticus before landing on the ground with his legs, speaking gladly despite the situation.

"Hooray! I've won my first dodgeball game!"

At the bridge, Tulip and Bryce surrounded Night Shroud, her mask now cracked and breaking as a piece of it, specifically where One-One hit it, was broken off, revealing the left side of a human mouth exposed, surprising the two of them with that info before she quickly covered it to hide this from the two of them as she gave them a warning.

"If you knew who I really am... you'd know I'm all the proof you need."

Having delivered this chilling message, Night Shroud willingly let herself fall from the bridge with a smile under her broken mask, much to the shock of Tulip and Bryce as they tried to catch her. But by the time they looked down, she was already gone, almost as if she vanished. But how could she? It was supposed to be a long way down, but it's like she was a ghost, not that it made any difference. With the dreaded Night Shroud gone, Bryce took a deep breath, hoping they'd never have to see her again. Though, this altercation between them would be the least of his problems. Tulip was still a bit fumed over the fact that Bryce was keeping secrets from her. It clearly showed a sign of distrust, and she wasn't all too happy with that as Bryce noticed her quietly livid expression.

"Tulip? You okay?"

"We need to talk. Now."

* * *

As everyone got out of the Jungle Car, with Penny and One-One beside Atticus for support, Bryce closed the door and had a feeling he knew what was coming as he sighed. Who wouldn't see it coming, keeping this a secret as long as he did? He could understand that she's angry with him for that; if the situation were reversed, he'd be angry, too. But the truth is, he's the one at fault in this scenario. And he has to take it like a man if he's going to live with himself after this.

"Tulip, there's something on my mind that I've been trying to tell you—"

"Then why didn't you?!"

"I don't know, okay? I guess... I didn't think it was any of your business. At least, I thought so at first, but then, after Corginia, it was because I was scared of what you'd think about me when you found out."

Considering what's happened so far, Tulip could find that understandable, reminding herself what she told Night Shroud. But still, it was no excuse to keep secrets as she went up in his face.

"Why should it matter what we think?! Friends don't keep secrets from each other like this, ever! It's not okay!"

As Penny witnessed this confrontation with her eyes, she began to get frightened all over again. This type of behavior was exactly what she was afraid of when it came to people with numbers. It reminded her all too well about the brutality they inflicted on Ms. Tabitha as she shivered in fear before One-One looked to the scene.

"I know. But we're not friends."

This made Tulip very frustrated and angry. But most of all, she's beginning to get afraid. She stood up by his side, and this is what he thought about them? Was Night Shroud right about him...? No! She couldn't be! Tulip refused to believe otherwise as she pushed Bryce to the door, holding onto his shirt by the collar with tears in her eyes.

"Then what are we to you?! What else could we be if not that?!"

For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence. But in that time, Bryce decided to be honest with the others, the way his parents raised him to be. This was a start to make it right, even if they don't know about it. He wasn't sure it's enough, but he owed it to them.

"Haven't you figured that out? You're like... like my family to me."

Hearing such an expression towards them, Tulip was taken aback at how he's labeled them as such. If his words weren't enough to make him believe, then his tears would've sealed the deal as they gently streamed down his face.

"I never realized it then, but after that duet, I... I really felt like that. And since then, I've been trying nonstop to tell you about what I've done. But a lot of what's going on kept getting in the way, and I couldn't tell you."

Hearing his explanation, this made Tulip widen her eyes, recalling what Bryce was trying to say before she interrupted him in the jungle car. On top of that, she recalled what Atticus told her the night before. Was he in on that secret, too? To find out, Tulip turned to him and tried to get a straight answer from him, perplexing the Corgi King.

"Atticus, did you know about this?"

"Heavens, no! I assumed what he needed to tell you was that he had a crush on you."

As a result, Tulip and Bryce began to blush from the idea of it. In the midst of this situation, it couldn't have been a more inappropriate time. Despite that, they needed to lay this secret out on the table. And so, Tulip decided to let him go and decided to let Bryce explain himself if he really felt that way since they both knew what Family meant. In addition, Tulip wanted to be sure that Night Shroud was wrong about Bryce.

"If you really feel that way about us... then tell us the truth. What is so important in your backpack that we shouldn't know about?"

Forced into it, Bryce looked at Tulip's angry (yet hopeful) face before looking to see Atticus, Penny, and One-One looking up to him with concern in their eyes. In that moment, he wanted to go back in time and prevent this confrontation from happening. But alas, there was no such luxury. So, he had to be agree to Tulip's terms, especially if he truly felt that way about them, which he absolutely did. But at the same time, he didn't want to break their hearts. So, it is with a heavy heart, and a tear to go with it, that he discarded his backpack, setting it on the floor as he unzipped it.

"Alright. But I can't promise any of you would think about me the same way ever again."

With the contents exposed, Tulip, Penny, Atticus, and One-One were utterly flummoxed to see a stolen bag of money, and a leftover gun from the bank heist. What could that mean if it was in Bryce's backpack? Was he a thief back home? Or was he someone worse? What he had to say next didn't help the situation at all as he spoke.

"Take a good look. This is who I really am."

**A/N: So, there we have it. The truth about Bryce's life is out. It will not bode well for the group. And I assume a lot of you are still wondering who the newly christened Night Shroud is. Well, for now, you'll have to figure that out for yourselves. Besides, the worst is yet to come...**


	8. The Fear Car

**A/N: Hello. :) This is officially a two-part Halloween special, so you'll understand the length of this particular chapter. Beyond that, you'll have to read for yourself to know how things will turn out for the group since the revelation.**

**Act I - ****Chapter VII: **The Fear Car

**Part 1:**

The truth was out. Bryce had finally decided to lay bare his wretched sins prior to boarding the train. Since he started, Bryce felt it best to keep that information to himself as it was nobody's business but his. At least, that's how it started. But his plans to harbor them as secrets all started to change when he brought Penny along with him.

She was a reminder of his innocent past, the young boy who wanted to be a big brother with a little sibling to look after, and she's proven to be so much more than that thus far. Up next came Tulip, a young girl who was just as much a victim of the train as he is. The two of them didn't quite get along as well before, but they found a way to mend their differences nonetheless. To accompany them were One-One, a residential robot who was in search of his mother (or creator), and His Majesty, Atticus, who desired to conquer the monster that threatened Corginia. Little by little, his experiences with them changed his perspective on what he originally thought was the best thing to do, until he had decided to open up to them. And it was safe to say that they were utterly shaken by what he had done, what he kept from them. Bryce had already accepted the inevitable backlash to come, hanging his head down in shame for his actions.

"Take a good look. This is who I really am."

With the evidence in that backpack, it was all they could do. Tulip was able to make a guess about what it all meant. It's easy to think he won the lottery, but with the gun inside his backpack, it could've been stolen money. This must've been what Night Shroud meant when she said that he couldn't be trusted, that he was using them. But she knew better than to trust her. If anything, Tulip needed to hear it from him. She needed to be sure that this wasn't true.

"Bryce... what is all this?"

Overcome with glances of disbelief all staring at him, Bryce found it harder to go on any further, but he's already begun to strip off the bandage. There's no turning back now...

"Tulip, I... I told you before that my mom and dad were stuck in that hospital with no way to pay for the funding."

Recalling what Bryce told her back in the Jungle Car not too long ago, Tulip took another look in the backpack and saw the stolen money and gun inside it. From the details of that story, Tulip could only assume that he tried to rob someone, or worse. It was a terrifying thing for her to think about, being forced to work with a common thug. But Tulip wasn't terrified of what happened so far. She was angry that he chose to be one...

"And _this_ was your answer? To ruin another family's life just to get yours back?!"

Having that accusation suddenly thrown at him, Bryce was stunted that Tulip would think that, not that he blamed her in a time like this.

"Tulip... t-that's not what I did."

To validate her point, Tulip found a small corner of the picture Bryce had in his jacket pocket and took it out with a grunt, making Bryce surprised as he didn't expect her to do it so quickly.

"Really?! Because that's what it looks like to me! Is that why you've been hiding this, too?!"

As the argument escalated for the worse, with Bryce quickly losing, One-One and Atticus were beginning to feel the situation was less than desirable as Sad-One instantly labeled it as...

"Awkward."

And Atticus couldn't agree more.

"Come on, Penny. Let's give those two some room."

With that, Penny had no choice but to go along with them on that. However, that didn't mean she couldn't hear what they were saying. Despite being far from the two, Penny could still hear the downplay of what's going on between them. And the little girl wasn't sure if she liked it at all.

"You lied to me! YOU LIED!"

"I didn't take money from any family, Tulip!"

"Then where did you get that money from?"

"Uh... from the bank?"

"Are you serious?! That doesn't make it any better!"

While the argument went on, Penny tried to understand what was happening. Amidst the incident, Atticus tried to divert her attention, blocking her view of their fighting with no success as she tried to go around Atticus' head more than once as it kept darting about left and right.

"You probably shouldn't see this, Penny."

"Hold on. I want to look."

"Penny. I must insist that you—"

"I... wanna... look!"

By the time Penny found a way to get a good look at the argument, she was only able to see the end of it with Bryce trying to validate his point.

"I didn't have a choice back then, Tulip! I was too scared to think of a better option!"

"What about an actual job?! It's not that hard!"

"It is when you need ten thousand dollars in a week before the operation is dropped! Name one job that can pay that much!"

In frustration, Tulip only grunted before slamming her hands on the side bars, her tears threatening to fall down her cheek. This made Bryce realize his mistake. In trying to explain himself, it ended up escalating into something worse than he wanted it to be. So, he tried to apologize to her, but with what she learned, Tulip was far from a forgiving mood.

"Tulip... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I was just—"

"Penny told me, last night, that people with numbers aren't always good people. And before now, I... I hoped it wouldn't mean you, too. But I guess I was wrong."

If that didn't break Bryce's heart, he wouldn't be sure what would. But he wasn't the only one; Penny was just as heartbroken about the truth. Ms. Tabitha trusted her to look after her as a big brother. To hear it now... it sounded like he betrayed them. But why would he, after all he did to help them, and her? Since he adopted her, Penny trusted Bryce with all her heart, only to be repaid by treachery. Of all the group present, she was the most upset of all.

"Why did you lie?"

To make matters worse for him, Bryce turned to notice Penny giving a sad and angry look to him. He was afraid of what Penny would think about it, and seeing her like this proved his point.

"Penny..."

"Ms. Tabby told me that Family would do always everything for each other. But they're never supposed to lie. Because people who lie are bad."

"Penny, it's not always like that."

But it was. No matter what the intention, lying always gets people hurt one way or another. And Penny was no exception.

"Yes, it is! If people lie, you can't trust them! But Ms. Tabby trusted you! Did you... did you lie to her, too?"

Grappling with that information, Penny began to break down to tears, thinking how Ms. Tabitha must've been used. For all she knew, Bryce must've threatened her to get to her. As the breakdown got worse, Bryce tried to comfort her in spite of what he did. However, Penny wasn't likely to trust him or anyone else like him ever again.

"Penny—"

"NO! Leave me alone!"

Immediately, she ran to the door behind her and opened it, causing Bryce to go after her in worry of the danger she's bound to go through. More than that, he needed to make it up to her.

"Penny!"

In his haste, he picked up his backpack which held the damning evidence of his crime and went off with it. Before he got to the door, however, Tulip shouted at him. Clearly, she wasn't done reeling over the truth she just found out about.

"Fine! Just go! We don't need you anymore!"

With Tulip's light sobbing that followed, Bryce felt utterly horrible about what he'd done to them. If he'd just decided to look for a more honest approach, he wouldn't have been on this train, and he wouldn't have hurt his friends the way he did. And it was something he would never forgive himself for.

"I'm sorry..."

Knowing for himself now that they were better off without him, Bryce headed straight for the door that Penny went through and closed the door behind him, only to see a hallway of doors in front of him, with walls as white as them and a red carpet floor. It provided a great challenge for Bryce to say the least since there were countless doors left to right. As if his current situation wasn't enough, now this?

"Great. Now, how am I supposed to find her?"

That's what he thought back then, but his guilt and self-doubt was making him ask, "what could be the point in finding her anymore?" Bryce knew for a fact that it's pointless to even try, considering how Penny feels about him now. But despite that, he made a promise to Ms. Tabitha to keep her safe. As soon as he found her, he'd help her go back to Tulip so that she could look after her. He saw how well the two of them were getting along. Given the job he's done so far, the duty to protect her should've gone to Tulip. As soon as he found her, he'd make sure Tulip would look after Penny; she'd do it a lot better than he ever did...

But for now, the main task was to find her. It wasn't that long ago when she went inside the car. So she had to leave some sort of tracks on the floor. Fortunately, Penny did leave footprints on the floor. And they all headed towards the door in the middle, which was just farther up ahead.

"Okay. I guess that answers that question."

One of many that he needed answers to, but he'll take it. However, as Bryce tried to go for that door, he was unaware of a figure in a dark grey trench coat with dark raven hair, a rusted, metal visor covering his eyes, and platinum gloves with claws on his hands just behind him before a shadow emerged from him and crept along the walls, hidden from sight. As the shadow followed him closely, Bryce was getting closer and closer to the door, hoping he'd be able to catch up to Penny. Especially with how fast she turned out to be when she's upset.

"If anything happens to Penny, I'm not sure I'd ever let it go."

Just as he got in front of the door, Bryce placed his hand on the door and pushed hard on it, opening it to show, to his surprise, a blank wall. The idea that Penny walked to that door just for that dead end boggled him. Did Penny really go in there? Or did someone else walk backwards after boarding it up? Either way, it was safe to say that it was pointless to go in there. He tried to turn back from it, but the mysterious figure who shadowed him blocked his way as he clutched onto his shoulders in a jump scare and pushed him to the back of the wall before he spoke directly to him.

"Hook, line, and sinker."

Suddenly, Bryce's own shadow went over the blank wall and converted it into a black portal just before the figure pushed Bryce through it as he screamed, causing it to ripple just as the door was then closed on him, condemning him to an unknown location in which danger inevitably lurked. And the figure took great pride in capturing his prey as he smiled to himself before turning to the shadow that left him which now resided on the ceiling.

"Make sure our new guests are tended to."

Heeding his instructions, the shadow retreated itself into thin shadows from the sides of the other doors, masking itself generally before that same figure opened the door again, this time revealing a dark room where it appeared abandoned, but the T.V. monitors with several areas of the hallway focused on, some of them moving like a person would can tell you otherwise. And at the center of said dark room, Penny could be seen lying on the hospital bed, groaning as she was twitching, dreaming of something that haunted her as the figure gave a dark smile.

"I have some work to do."

Leering to his prey, he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Outside the cars, Tulip was still recovering from the aftermath of Bryce's revelation. She was incredibly upset with how she'd been lied to, among other things. How could someone who'd looked after their safety for this long do such a terrible thing beforehand? And why would he ruin another family's life just to piece his back together again? None of it made any sense to her. All the while, One-One's sad side could somehow relate to Tulip as she vented.

"I can't believe he did this! I thought he was such a good guy, but he was just using us this whole time!"

"I know, right?"

His glad side, on the other hand, considered it to be a bit of a misunderstanding, remembering what Bryce did for them, although Tulip refused to believe that any of it was meaningful to someone like him.

"He's not all bad, Ms. Tulip. Mr. Bryce must care about us."

"Don't you get it by now, One-One?! Everything we did together, how he felt about us, _all_ of it were lies!He lied to us! And... and he lied to me."

Her head buried into her legs, it was obvious that Tulip had trouble letting it go since she found out. Throughout her own journey, she honestly felt as though she'd found someone she could relate to in Bryce. But she was fooled, just like she was fooled by her parents when they told her they'd be together forever. And now, Tulip was caught in the overwhelming feeling of being alone once again, in spite of her present company. Atticus could not bear to see Tulip so sad, and he could tell from the look on Bryce's face as he took off that he felt bad about it as well. To him, there must've been a point behind this... and he knew he could find it as he walked over to Tulip and tried to comfort her as he had before.

"Surely not all of his experiences with us were lies. They all must mean something to him."

"And how do you know?"

"As King of Corginia, it is necessary for me to be a great judge of character."

Considering what he previously believed, Tulip felt it was a bit of an exaggeration.

"Atticus, you thought Bryce was trying to tell me that he had a crush on me."

"I never said I was a great judge of what people were thinking."

Failing to see his point, Tulip gave out a frustrated groan before he continued to give his comfort where it's needed, only for her to shoot his attempts down like arrows.

"Tulip, if he was doing this to use us, would he open his heart to you the way he did?"

"It could've been crocodile tears, for all I care."

"But what about when he saved you from that cockroach beast you spoke of? He could've very well chosen to take the exit without you, but instead, he chose to fight the beast and help you escape."

"He could've been doing that to get my trust."

"Think about it. What could Bryce want with that if he hasn't met you before?"

"I don't know, okay?! I don't know... I thought I did, but now... it's like I didn't know him at all."

Her faith in Bryce quickly waning, Atticus became stumped on how to convince her that Bryce wasn't as bad as she now believes him to be. He would've stayed like that if he didn't notice the picture on Tulip's lap through her side. If there was a chance to help her realize how good Atticus knew he'd be in spite of what he found out, this was it.

"And what about that picture? I'm certain Bryce wouldn't wish to ruin another family's life to salvage his own. Perhaps it means something to him in another way."

"Yeah, right. After all he did, why would he carry this thing... around?"

While Tulip took the time to have a closer look at the picture, given that she was in a fury when she practically shoved it up to his face, she started to see the resemblance between the boy in the picture and Bryce. They both had the same hairstyle and hair color, just like the young lad's mother, and her jean jacket was all too similar to Bryce's own... it was easy to think that he could've stolen it, but there were two things to think about. For one, why would he steal a jacket if his parents were in the hospital? Another was that she recalled one answer to her twenty questions as they went along through the train, saying that he got the jean jacket from his uncle, like it was his hand-me-downs. As further indication of what Atticus was getting at, Tulip took notice of the similarities from his father: he's almost the exact spitting image of him! If Bryce had his father's black hair, plaid jacket, and jeans, he'd be like his twin. As the revelation of who the family truly was on the picture formed across her face, Atticus could tell that she's rethinking her earlier statement about him ruining another family's life for his.

"I take it this means you realized he isn't as bad as you think?"

Seeing the evidence in front of her, Tulip realized more than that: she realized that the family in that picture was his own. It must've been the driving force for him helping the group for this long. Despite what he was accused of, and what he actually did, he still did his best to keep everyone safe while they were on this train. Anyone else would've played by the "Survival of the Fittest" rules here, but he didn't. Maybe there was at least a grain of truth to what Bryce told her about his parents. However, that didn't mean she was ready to forgive and forget so soon.

"Okay, I guess you have a point, Atticus. But still, he robbed from the bank. That kind of thing's against the law, and it's not something anyone could just forgive, no matter how often it happens. He didn't even stop and think about how much it'd hurt his family, how much it'd hurt us!"

As One-One heard this from Tulip, his glad side chimed in his perspective on the matter.

"That didn't mean he doesn't care about you, Ms. Tulip. He did say he was sorry."

When she tried to counter One-One's words, Tulip, instead, gave some thought about it, putting on a more mournful look as she thought back to how upset Penny was and how desperate Bryce was to help her understand the things he did.

"He did, didn't he?"

Needless to say, a little food for thought would be an understatement. Perhaps it wasn't entirely on him that he didn't tell them before now. She felt that he said all he needed to say in the Jungle Car, though she didn't understand why back then. She couldn't figure out if it was because she didn't want to hear the truth or because she trusted him enough to dismiss the idea. Either way, Tulip began to feel bad for him having to take off the way he did. And after all he did, it's infuriating to her that she can't understand why she does as she grunted.

"Why do I feel this way?! Bryce lied to us! I should hate him for this! So, why? Why do I feel so bad for him?"

To answer Tulip's query, One-One rolled over to her and spoke up his thoughts with his sad side suggesting a different approach

"Maybe because you love him?"

"Or maybe because you feel guilty? Yeah, it's definitely the guilt."

Believe it or not, One-One's two opposites were actually both on the mark. Maybe she did love him after all. Why else could she blush at the idea of being in love with him? But by far, her guilt made the most sense.

Bryce spent all that effort to tell her the truth, and it wasn't entirely his fault that he didn't tell them sooner. And when he did tell them, she repaid his honesty by telling him to go away. It's no wonder she felt so bad. With that in mind, Tulip looked over to the door that Bryce and Penny went in, standing up on her two feet with a determined glare, confusing One-One as his sad half became flummoxed while his glad counterpart was curious about what Tulip had in mind.

"I've gotta make this up to him."

"I thought you didn't want to forgive him."

"It's not about that, One-One. He still tried to be honest with me. What kind of person would I be if I didn't do the same?"

"But how do you honestly feel about Mr. Bryce, Ms. Tulip?"

"I... I don't know."

With Tulip stuck in a confusing dilemma, Atticus felt it best to move on as it was best to handle it when they're not in the middle of another problem.

"Well, however you feel, I think we should focus on locating Penny. Who knows what kind of car that turned out to be, or if it's even safe?"

Looking to the car in front of them, Tulip began to be nervous at what could've happened. The possibilities were endless, and that's partly what terrified her about each and every single one of those cars. At least when Bryce and Penny were still around, Tulip didn't have to go it alone. But now, they're far gone, at least from where she's standing. Thankfully, One-One and Atticus were still beside her. As long as she had their support, Tulip would be ready to handle this train, one car at a time.

"Only one way to find out."

With that, Tulip stood up and opened the car door to find a large hallway. This was a bit... lackluster for her. She was expecting something grand like the Jungle Car, the Crystal Car, or literally any other car. But instead, she ended up with a simple hallway.

"Well, it looks safe enough."

As Tulip and the others pressed on in the car, though, she began to realize a setback to it. In a car this big, Penny was bound to get lost. Bryce would definitely have a hard time finding her in this place. Although, Tulip knew it was unlikely that he'd start opening doors at random. Come to think of it, she wouldn't do that kind of thing, either. All the same, Atticus knew they needed to find her as quickly as possible before anything else happens.

"I suppose. But still, we must make sure that Penny isn't in any danger."

"I know, I know. Now, if I were running away, where would I go?"

While Tulip tried to think of an answer, she looked down to see footsteps leading to a door in the very center of the hallway. It was simple enough. At least that saved them the trouble of having to search door-to-door. At least, that's how Tulip felt as Glad One was impressed with her apparent detective skills while Atticus tried to verify their footprints.

"Huh. I guess running straight is what I'd do."

"That's very smart, Ms. Tulip."

"A good start. But we'll have to confirm the scents."

Atticus proceeded to sniff the footprints on the carpet in order to track them. As confirmation, he picked up a smell of the candy he let her eat a whole bag of, as well as that of a sweaty stench. Given what's happened on the last car, there's no mistaking it. However, there was also another smell, one that practically reeked of horror as Atticus made a shudder from the smell, though Tulip wanted to be sure it wasn't anything bad.

"Did you find them?"

"Well... apart from an ominous smell laced with the scents, it's them, alright. They headed straight to that door as the footprints suggest."

This gave Tulip cause for concern. An ominous smell meant someone or something bad must've followed them. At the moment, she couldn't come up with who or what it was. Though, remembering her last encounter with Night Shroud easily made her imply that she must've survived the fall from the last car and tracked them down. But how would she get past them, then? Stumped on what else this ominous smell could be from, Tulip didn't want to waste time trying to find an answer to that if it could be better spent finding Penny as she nodded to Atticus, though she kept that detail in mind.

"Okay, Atticus. Lead the way."

With that, Atticus continued to sniff alongside the trail with Tulip and One-One following close behind him. In their search, they were unaware of the shadows gathering up on the wall with each set of doors they passed, concerning at the ceiling. While the shadows crept on the walls and up to the ceiling, One-One began to whimper uncomfortably at the particular decor of this car as Tulip looked over to him.

"What's the matter with you, One-One?"

"I don't like it. This car just rubs me the wrong way."

"Welcome to my world."

Considering how normal it appeared, she only gave a small scoff at this.

"Relax, One-One. You're probably just new to being in a regular hallway."

But now that he mentioned it, Tulip did begin to feel as though someone was watching her. Heeding that feeling, Tulip turned behind her, finding no one or anything behind her as the shadows hid themselves again, though Tulip wasn't aware of that just yet. Maybe he's right about the atmosphere of this car after all.

"On second thought, it does feel a bit creepy."

Fortunately, it seemed like they didn't have to put up with it for very long as they got to the door. But the shadow that reconnected itself poised itself for a chance to strike as Tulip tried to check it out.

"Okay. Let's check this door, find Penny, and get out of here."

When Tulip opened it, however, she was stumped to find a dead end in front of where there should've been another room. What could've been the point in tracking them down if it was a dead end? To be sure that the footprints didn't just lead them to this infuriating obstacle, Tulip tried to check with Atticus, struggling to keep her composure.

"What? A wall? Atticus, are you sure this is where the footprints lead?"

"Positive. That's where the trail led to."

As Tulip heard this, she groaned in frustration at the idea of the both of them going to a dead end. But... thinking about it now, could it really be a dead end?

"Wait. What if it's another room?"

Hoping it was the case, Tulip tried to reach her hand through it. But that hope was dashed when Tulip couldn't push through the wall. And it's beginning to have her scared. Even if Penny was with them, how could they be expected to find a way out? This time, though, her mind wasn't focused on that.

"What? No, no, no! This can't be a dead end! It just can't be..."

That would've been it at this point, but a startling development happened then that caught everyone by surprise. A hole started to form where her hand rested on it, or more specifically, her shadow. And it spread like wildfire on the wall until it turned black. Seeing it happen in front of her, Tulip began to think there was a reason that they went through this door.

"Wait a minute... it's a portal. And it needed my shadow to unlock it. That's... weird."

One-One frankly couldn't agree more as neither of his halves were comfortable with it as his sad half considered it something worse than weird while he hopped off Tulip's shoulder and split into two beings again.

"If by weird, you mean 'sinister', then—"

"Enough voodoo! I say we find our friends and get the heck out of here!"

This made Tulip extremely worried to see him behave like this. In all the cars they've been through, even in the face of danger, One-One's happier side has never never acted like _this_. For that to happen to One-One now means something is definitely wrong. And Tulip was getting very worried very fast.

"What's wrong with you, One-One? What are you so afraid of?"

To answer her question, Glad One took notice of the shadow keeping surveillance on them as it descended to the floor in three-dimensional form, earning his shriek as an answer.

"AAH! SHADOW MONSTER!"

"Shadow monster? What are you—?"

When Tulip turned behind her, she took notice of what One-One was talking about as she gasped at the shadow standing behind them, urging Atticus to turn behind him as well. As the shadow silhouette stood by itself, it gave a deadly smile to them, as if it'd cornered its victims. Confronted by the sinister silhouette, Tulip was cautious as she helped One-One back into her backpack. If it set off One-One in a bad way, then it's obvious that it was no friend.

"You'll be safe in here, One-One."

"Thank you..."

With One-One safely sealed in her backpack, Tulip looked back to the shadow monster as it crept closer to them before Atticus growled louder at the shadow and ran at it, making her worried as she tried to warn him.

"Atticus, wait! We don't know what it could—!"

Before she could finish her warning, Atticus lunged at the shadow, only for it to grab him by the fur on his head before Tulip tried to save Atticus from what it intended to do.

"Leave Atticus alone, or so help me—!"

When Tulip tried to save him with a charge at it, however, the portal began to act on its own as it generated a large hand that closed in on her and clutched onto her, dragging Tulip inside the portal as she struggled to break free. Unfortunately, she didn't have the strength to break from it as the shadow gave her a leering smile as it held Atticus, watching as Tulip was pulled into the abyss as her grunts faded away...

The next thing she knew, Tulip woke up with a startled gasp, not sure if she was in limbo from the portal grabbing her. Speaking of, Tulip looked around left and right to find Atticus, hoping he was able to escape, but alas saw no trace of him.

"Atticus? Atticus! Where are you?!"

In spite of Tulip's shouting, there was no answer. Atticus was nowhere to be found. What could've happened to him? Why did that shadow take him away? As Tulip looked around, she found out that it was hardly the most important issue.

"Hold on. Where am I?"

Tulip became closer and closer to finding the answer as she saw the snow falling around her. Added to it were the tree branches that hung above her and the wooden trees that held them up. It wasn't until Tulip looked out from the horizon to see the snowy fields and an abandoned farm from far away that she found her answer. At this point, she couldn't believe it, given how long she'd struggled, but it was a sight she'd hoped to see again.

"I'm... I'm home."

While it would've been comforting to know that she finally got home, there's another thing to consider. If she got home, then was everything she'd been through just that? A dream? As Tulip got to thinking about it, she turned around to see a white door behind her. It was just like the one the shadow dragged her into, but on the other side was the same hallway she was in, where Atticus was... Remembering that that's where Atticus was taken by the shadow, Tulip tried to get out that way, but it began to ripple while proving immovable as she grunted. Having no luck so far, Tulip decided to stop for now as the obvious option to cross the door didn't work.

"Great. Now what?"

As an answer, Tulip heard a muffle from inside her backpack. To be sure that she wasn't imagining it, Tulip began to unzip it. To her surprise, she found out One-One was still inside it as he popped up.

"Is it gone?"

"One-One? What are you doing here?"

"Don't you remember, silly? You stuffed me in your backpack."

"How could you forget that already? Do you have amnesia?"

Hearing One-One's casual answers in both tones, Tulip gave a small chuckle as she held the robot close to her. It was scary to think of what could've happened if she didn't bring One-One with her. He could've ended up being taken by that shadow, too. Which brings her to another question she had no answer to.

"Wait. If we got in here... how do we get out?"

One-One was actually concerned with another matter as he looked on the ground. Something was missing just underneath Tulip, and he didn't like that at all.

"Ms. Tulip! Your shadow's gone!"

When she noticed this, Tulip became utterly surprised with a gasp to see that her shadow was nowhere to be found. To confirm it, Tulip waved her hand over the ground, seeing nothing under it but the snow she stood on. It was already beginning to get stranger and stranger to her...

"What is going on here?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce woke up from the ambush by the figure and took notice of the environment around him. When he did, Bryce was flabbergasted to find out where he woke up in. There's simply no way to deny it. He could recognize the bed he slept in, the shelf in front of him that held his trophy from his sprints in an academical event, and the floor that had several shirts scattered here and there, just like he left it. There could be only one explanation for all of this: he was home.

But how could he be here? The last thing Bryce remembered was when he walked through the hallway, determined to find Penny. After that, he found a blank wall in front of where another room should be. And then, he was ambushed by this strange figure that pushed him into a portal. Could any of this have been a nightmare?

"I'm... I'm back home. Wait, did I— did I dream all of this?"

As soon as Bryce thought of this, he recalled what Dr. West said in the first car he'd ever been in.

"_You see, one part of your brain allows you to read, and dreaming is handled by the other. You can't read and dream at the same time; it's virtually impossible."_

Bryce would've debated on that way back when, but who was he to argue with a doctor, especially when he fixed him all up? Nonetheless, there was only one way to find out whether or not what he'd been through was a dream. So, he cautiously looked to his left hand and slowly opened it up. When he did, a green glow escaped from it, his number still shining on his palm. It made no sense for him to see that number on him when he was back home. Was there no connection between it and the train all along, or was it some sort of tracker? And if that number was still around, could the solution for his parents be still...?

"Bryce! I need you to come downstairs!"

Interrupted by his grandmother's shout, Bryce could tell from the tone that she sounded somewhat concerned, which, to sum it all up, was more like her. She was probably worried he'd miss out on school. Only problem was, he had no idea what day it was. But as much as he'd like to figure it out himself, Bryce knew he'd find out faster if he went downstairs.

"I'll be down in a sec, Grandma!"

Bryce then proceeded to exit his room and go down the stairs. Strange as things are, Bryce was just glad he could make it back home, though he wished he could do so in better circumstances. Yet, the worst of his troubles had yet to come. The moment the young man entered the living room, he immediately began to regret it as he saw the news on the T.V. broadcasting what he hoped would never be revealed: his heist on the bank. Even worse, his grandmother was paid a visit to by a police officer. In other words, his goose is cooked.

"Grandma? What's going on?"

"That's what I like to know myself, young man. Officer Samson told me you were involved in this heist. Is that true?"

For a while, Bryce had no answer. He attempted to lie at first, but he stopped himself for two reasons. One of them was that it's only a matter of time before the officer would get to the truth. Another was that it would impugn his family's code of honesty. He did it once before, but he had no intention of doing it again. Still, it wasn't any easier on him to spell it out, much less show proof of it as he got his backpack and opened it, revealing the evidence.

"Yes. It is."

As expected, his grandmother was utterly shocked at this news. How could such a good boy like him be turned to commit this heinous crime? How could he break her heart like this? Her shock then shifted into that of hurt, and Bryce could tell she was upset about it.

"Bryce... why?"

"Please, let me explain."

The officer quickly denied his chance at an explanation as he intervened.

"You can explain to the judge. Until then, you are under arrest for three heinous acts against the law."

This caught Bryce off-guard in the number of crimes. He knew that robbing a bank was a crime, but he wasn't aware about the other two, whatever they were. Regardless, he tried to identify the other two, only to earn the officer's irritation.

"Wait, three? But I only broke one law!"

"It's always 'just one' with you teenagers."

"But what else did I do wrong?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Gideon. You know you're charged with kidnapping and murder on your record. And on both counts, you abducted and killed an orphan, specifically named Penny. That ring a bell for you?"

A police officer here about a heist was one thing, but a picture of her as part of his charge of kidnapping and murder?Now he definitely knew something was wrong. Bryce never did anything like that in his life. Even when he was with the mob, he'd never stoop that low, not even for his parents. Bryce tried to convince her grandmother of that, but her shock and hurt easily gnawed at her faith in her own grandson.

"Bryce Isaac Gideon, how could you?! If your parents found out about this—!"

"Grandma, I'll admit that heist was on me, but I've never kidnapped or murdered anyone! You have to believe me!"

"I can't. Not anymore..."

Her head turning away from him in shame, Bryce felt as though he was betrayed by someone who loved him dearly. He wouldn't blame her if it was about the heist, which was part of that reason. But how could his other unspeakable acts happen the way they did? This had to be a nightmare. But how could it all be so real then...? Officer Samson seemed to make it clear as he held out handcuffs to place on his arms.

"Alright, I've wasted enough time with the chitchat. It's high-time you pay a dime at the big house."

With the red flags waving all around him, ranging from his number to the supposed act of killing and murdering a child, Bryce couldn't let it happen. Especially not since he recalled what her grandmother just said. It was the whole point of getting the money from the bank. With how long he'd been gone, Bryce couldn't let himself get under arrest without making sure they're breathing first.

"Sorry, officer, but I can't go just yet."

In his act of defiance, Bryce took his arms and wrestled the cuffs away from him before Samson jumped on him, pinning his hand on his chest.

"I order you to cease and desist!"

Unfortunately for him, it proved to be an opportunity for Bryce as he used the handcuffs to bind his hand to the stool, trapping him with it before looking to see his Grandmother's frightened look from what he just pulled. He could stay and try to convince her, but even then, nothing could change her mind at this point. All he could do was apologize to her for what he'd done.

"Grandma, I'm sorry."

Bryce then quickly made his exit as Samson reached for his walkie-talkie and spoke into it for assistance.

"Officers, we got a runner headed west from the house! I need backup, over!"

How did things get downhill so fast? Bryce knew he'd pay for his heist, but he never thought it'd be in such compound interest. Hands down, it was turning out to be the worst day of his life so far.

"Why is this happening to me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip was having a hard time figuring that out herself. For one thing, Atticus' current location was unclear, about as much as how to get out of the portal if she can't exit the way one usually would. Another thing that threw her off was why she didn't have a shadow. They're always supposed to follow people no matter what light shines on them. Apparently, the rules worked differently on this train. And it seemed to scare One-One more than anything. Maybe he knew a backdoor to this place. On the way back to where her house would be, Tulip tried to ask him, hoping she wouldn't end up stirring his nervousness.

"So, One-One... Uh, any idea what this place is?"

"I don't know."

"What? Well why were you scared of this place then?"

"Didn't you see the shadow monster, Ms. Tulip? It was so scary!"

"You probably forgot that, too, but yeah. It was pretty scary."

Contrary to Sad One's belief, Tulip never forgot the monster who snatched Atticus away. How could she with its dark sneer burned into her memory? Even that was hardly the problem, though. Atticus smelled Bryce and Penny's scents going to that door before they came to it. If the shadow monster stuck around for them...

"The monster! That's why that door looked like a dead end! That thing probably got to Bryce and Penny when they went in this car."

The instant she said it out loud, Tulip began to remember what happened out in-between cars prior to their supposed abduction. She told him to leave, that she didn't need him anymore. It was understandable with her heartache, but it still brought no comfort knowing she let Penny run off into that death trap of a car. But what difference would it have made, really, if that shadow monster would trap them either way? All the same, the guilt of putting her friends in danger was not something she could get over despite their falling out.

"When I told him to go away..."

Just then, One-One caught a glimpse of a simple, yet sturdy house far away. He hasn't seen it before, but he had a feeling Tulip might have.

"Hey! Is that your house, Ms. Tulip?"

Fortunately, One-One's hunch was proven correct as Tulip looked up from out of her momentary gloom to find her house. The sight of the lonely house with no neighbors brought back all the memories she had under that roof. It was almost like a trip down memory lane just to get back here on present circumstances. Although, maybe it was...? Tulip wouldn't deign to guess, not that she cared.

What she did care about was what she saw through the window: a woman with short blonde hair, a pink sweater, and jeans being comforted by a man with light brown hair, a beard, a white shirt, and jeans holding her tightly. Tulip instantly knew who they were from the description. They were her parents.

"Yeah, One-One. It is."

It definitely was a first in a long time since it happened. The last time they were in the same room as each other, they were telling her about their divorce. So why could they be together after what happened? Maybe... maybe they're both worried about Tulip, about what could've happened to her.

Turned out, it was a wake-up call of sorts for Tulip. While she ran off for Osh-Kosh, only to end up on this train for a month now, they must've been searching, calling, even praying for her to come back alive. Only one thought crossed her mind as she saw her mother's face shedding more tears, turning red with hurt as she hugged her ex-husband: how could she put her parents through this? They were only doing their best. Just like Bryce was... It was then that Tulip made her decision. Before anything else, she needed to take the opportunity to let them know how sorry she was for putting them through such a horrible experience. And she needed to take it while she can, for her own sake...

"One-One, I'm going in there."

"Great! You've already got a plan?"

"Yeah. I'm going to apologize to my mom and dad."

"That sounds like a pla— wait, what?"

Seeing that One-One was caught off-guard, Tulip tried to explain the idea to him as well as her reasons.

"Don't get me wrong. I know my friends are in danger, and I do want to help them, but... who knows if I'll ever get back home again? My mom and dad have been worried sick about me since I left for OshKosh. I want to at least make it up to them while I can."

Marching quickly on the snow, Tulip barely gave One-One any time to catch up to her as he tried to reason with her. After all, the portal just took them to this place. Perhaps it's why he still has the willies, but One-One had personal doubts that it'd be real, especially Glad One.

"But how do you know if they're your real parents?"

"What do you mean 'real parents?'"

"You said they were divorced."

"Yeah, I did. Maybe my running away got them both scared."

"But I can still feel the willies from this place."

"Spoiler alert: it probably won't end well."

Considering how that giant hand just grabbed them, Tulip had an idea about where the willies could come from just as she reached the front door. Irritation was still building up, however, as her parents were just within reach as she tried to dissuade any suspicion from him, only for Sad One to persist.

"Maybe you still need some fresh air after that giant... blob thing or whatever."

"How do you know they're not shadow monsters?"

This was where Tulip was at her limit. Being cautious after that whole incident with the shadows is one thing, but for him to accuse them as being monsters. If that didn't cross the line, Tulip wouldn't know what will. Frustrated that he'd go that for, she gave a growl and got straight to the point.

"Just stop, One-One, okay?! You don't get it! You don't know what it's like to worry about your family, and you never will, because you never had one to worry about!"

After that, only a panting breath could be heard from Tulip. When that has passed, though, Tulip began to notice One-One bearing a more saddened countenance. The last time he was this sad was when she sold him out to the Cat. She thought she learned her lesson, that she could be patient with him. Yet, she just demonstrated the complete opposite of that and hurt him again.

"One-One... I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, Ms. Tulip. I understand. I just hope you'll be careful."

Dejected, One-One began to slowly roll away from Tulip in the snow before he stopped and turned back to allow Sad One to reply to her again.

"See you later."

With One-One rolling away, Tulip began to feel worse and worse. She wasn't trying to hurt One-One, but it happened anyway, just like before. At this point, Tulip could use some help in making it right with all of her friends. Maybe her parents would help her with that. She still couldn't shake the hurt off from what she did, and Tulip didn't want to have to do it alone anymore... So, it was with a heavy heart that Tulip opened the door and walked inside, getting her parents' attention as they turned to her in surprise as she tried to speak to them.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

With how she'd been gone for a month, Tulip expected them to rush to her and give her a warm welcome. Another likely scenario would be that they would check with her and see if she was okay. Alas, neither outcome came true as her parents greeted Tulip with an angry expression on their faces as her mother spoke venomously.

"So _now _you decide to come back..."

"Huh?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce was still running from the law and to his parents by now, though the overall journey was fraught with peril. The actual running was quick to give way to fatigue, but it lasted long enough for him to get to the train station. Bryce considered it dumb luck that the police didn't close it off first thing. Lucky or not, though, Bryce knew he had to make this opportunity count. Once the train stopped near the fastest route to the General Hospital, Bryce made a dash out of the train, though he shoved a few people that tried to get out of the train, leaving them a bit disgruntled as a bystander heckled him.

"Hey! What's your hurry, buster?!"

If only he could know what he was in such a rush for. Bryce had been missing in their lives for one month too long. He knew what had to be done, and he couldn't do it if he couldn't run... In the minutes that passed, his running legs finally got him to the hospital where his parents stayed. Inside, a concierge saw him stomping to her as he took exhausted, labored breaths.

"Oh, hello, sir. What could I do for—?"

In his desperation to save them, he couldn't wait for the concierge to address him as he slammed the money on her desk. After all the struggles he had, the nightmares that resulted, and the current chaos that followed him, Bryce needed to pay the overdue funds for his parents _now_.

"Shut up and take my money!"

"What?"

"It's more than enough to pay for the Gideon couples' operation!"

"I'm sorry, sir. Who are you?"

"It's Bryce! Bryce Gideon! Now tell them to get to work and—"

The concierge could see the fear in his eyes as he let out the first thoughts in his mind. More than that, she saw the resemblance. She could tell right away that he was their son. But that only made what she had to say next even harder.

"You're... you're their son?"

As he heard the sorrowful tone in her voice, Bryce began to assume the worst. Why was she upset? What could've happened in the time he'd been gone?

"Yeah. What happened?"

"I'm sorry. But your parents... they died a month ago."

Instantly, Bryce made a shocked gasp, refusing to believe what she was saying. He knew it was a possibility, but he wanted to believe that they'd be strong enough to wait for him. He knew that they'd never give up on him. To hear that now, after all he'd done to keep them alive, Bryce couldn't accept it. He wouldn't...

"No...! It couldn't have happened _that_ long ago!"

"It's true. The time of death was 9:37 p.m. They died from internal bleeding, broken ribs, and severe concussions to the brain. Receiving those injuries all at once, they were beyond saving."

Beyond saving? But the doctors told him they'd do their best to save them. At least one nurse said they would. Could it have been a false hope from the beginning? Was all of it a lie?

"But... but that nurse said they'd manage one at a time. They'd do everything to help them!"

"She told you they'd do everything they _can_. But without sufficient funds, there wasn't _anything_ they could do. I'm sorry."

It was the last straw for Bryce. He'd done so much wrong things to keep his parents alive, and this is what he gets in return? All of his sacrifices, his tears, blood, and sweat given up for them, and none of it meant a thing. In a word, it was completely unacceptable. This whole situation was... unfair!

At the same time, though, Bryce knew he couldn't blame her. She was no doctor, after all. That didn't mean he wasn't angry with what he'd gone through just to find that out. With the anger and despair of finding out the truth building up in him, he tried the hardest he could to restrain it, trying not to take it out on anyone next to him, but as he remembered everything he'd done for the sake of his parents, Bryce was starting to lose his grip and tried to isolate himself from the concierge, darting to the hallway in a huff. Unfortunately, it proved to be a mistake as people began bursting out the doors as he passed by them. Doctor and patient alike assaulted him with their words towards who he was.

_Where were you when they died?_

_You had every opportunity to stay, but you turned your back on them._

_They died because of you..._

"No! Stop! Stop it!"

Their words did not abate. Instead, they persisted in driving him mad, forcing him to run through the hall just to get away from the cacophony of blames.

_You killed them! Just like you killed that girl!_

_MURDERER!_

_You murdering dog!_

"STOP IT!"

When Bryce burst through the door in front of him, he expected another rambler to be behind it and swung his fist through it. By the time he looked at who he hit, Bryce was already too late as a feminine yelp came from his attack. To his horror, he saw his mother, struck by his own fist and laying lifeless on the cold, hard ground. Regret instantly began to fill his core as he looked up to see his father looking down at him in shock over what he did. It wasn't his intention to hurt his parents, especially since he found out they were dead. Could they have been hiding from him?

"Dad... please, I can expla—"

Suddenly, his father, too, fell lifeless beside his wife, right in front of his eyes. How could any of this be happening? This has to be a nightmare! That's what he thought before he saw the number, yet another cruel reminder that everything from then on was real. And it was all his fault...

"Mom! Dad! No...! I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!"

Those voices were right all along. He did kill them. Same went for Penny, too. He let her run off into that death trap, and now he's stuck imagining what might've happened to her. Before he knew it, tears began to emerge as little droplets before streaming like tiny waterfalls across his skin. His sobs were the only thing he could do to hold in his despair before he finally gave in and gave a cacophonous scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Inside the dark room, the figure saw on a monitor that Bryce was alone, crying to himself in a hospital room. The stranger then turned to another monitor to see Tulip confronted with her parents glaring at her as he gave a leering smile.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be. Now, let's see how the other passenger is doing."

* * *

**Part 2:**

For Tulip's situation, it was no better, as far as she was concerned. She'd just been scolded for coming back home. Wasn't it what they wanted? To see their daughter again?

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

"You've been gone for a month, Tulip. A _whole _month!"

"Did you have any idea how worried sick we've been since then?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you guys worry so much. But... but I came back."

Tulip's effort of an apology wasn't good enough for her mother as she snapped, her father stepping in for her when Tulip was startled.

"It would've been better if you hadn't!"

"What? Mom, why would you—?"

"You really think that after running away like that, apologizing would make us forgive you just like that?"

"I had to pull out of my 12-hour shift because of you! In fact, I even _quit _my job just to wait for you in case you came back while your father looked through town!"

Hearing about her mother's sacrifice for her, Tulip was surprised that she was taking an angry tone. She assumed that her mother was angry about her waiting overall and tried again to apologize.

"Mom... I had no idea."

"Of course you hadn't! You only ever thought of yourself, as usual!"

"When did I ever—?"

As an answer, Tulip was grabbed by her jacket and throttled by her mother as she retorted.

"All you cared about was Game Design Camp, but you never stopped to consider how important my job is! I needed that shift to save someone's parents from _dying_! I made a promise to do that, and I couldn't keep it!"

This got Tulip by surprise. She never knew Mom's job was that important. Would she have cared back then if she did? Before now, Tulip wouldn't have been so sure, but after everything she'd been through, her guilt began to settle in.

"Mom..."

"If you hadn't run away, I wouldn't have been so worried, and that child's parents would still be alive!"

Seeing how vicious her mother was becoming towards her now, Tulip recalled when they were mourning before she knocked on the door. How could they miss her in one minute only to want her gone in the next?

"But... But I saw you crying."

"It was never about you! It was about those lives I couldn't save... because of you!"

Given how serious she sounded, Tulip had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

"So... I guess I'm grounded for life, huh?"

Alas, her mother had something worse in mind as she pushed Tulip to the ground.

"Oh, no, young lady. Grounding is too good for you!"

As the hostility in her voice rose to a level she never knew her mom had, Tulip began to fear the worst and tried to run to her room for safety, only for her father to block the way to it before he sealed the deal.

"Your mother and I have been talking, Tulip. And as it turns out, _you're _the reason we divorced in the first place."

This caught Tulip totally unawares. In a way, though, her father's argument was sound. When she was almost in her tween years, she always considered them monsters for thinking of it in the first place. Yet, she never stopped to think about why they'd choose to do that. Could she have been responsible..?

"And we also decided that if you ever came back here, we'd kick you back out."

"What? Mom, w-why are you doing this?"

"You've ruined our lives long enough! Now get out and never come back to this house again, you... PARASITE!"

If words could kill, they would've pierced through Tulip's heart like a knife. Not once has she ever been called that in her life before now. And it hurt even more that it would come from her own mother. She wanted to make it up to them for hurting them the way she did, but they made it clear that she was the one who hurt them. But that didn't hurt because they felt that way to her. It hurt because it was true.

Tulip was beginning to accept that as the truth, recalling how she'd behaved since she started her journey on the train. Even before then, she blamed her mother and her father for not being able to take her to OshKosh because of their divorce. And that was just the start of the evidence. She told Bryce that she didn't need him anymore, she let Atticus get taken away by that shadow, and now... now she told One-One he had no family. She had no friends, not even a family anymore...

All Tulip could do was run away and never look back as tears began to form on her face, sobbing as she sprinted through the snow. Her own parents just disowned her for what she did to them. What was the point in going to OshKosh if that's how she made them feel? What was the point in going back if they wanted her gone? She had nobody to be with, nowhere to go to. Not anymore... When she got to the frozen lake, Tulip collapsed and let her sobs out as she drowned in her sorrows.

"Why...? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?!"

As Tulip sobbed with no answer to the question, she heard a menacing voice speaking to her behind him, getting her attention.

"Haven't you figured it out by now, little flower?"

Upon hearing his voice, Tulip turned around to see a strange silhouette with a visor over where his eyes would've been, a trench coat, and gloves with claws on his hands, surprising her as she yelped. After everything she did, she wanted to be left alone. So this face, or any face at all, was the last thing she expected. Nonetheless, the shadow showed no hesitation in being blunt with what he considered to be obvious.

"Life doesn't work out the way you want. And it never will..."

Seeing the figure smile in front of her, Tulip didn't know how to process what was happening as she widened her eyes before she fell backward on the snowbank from backing away to the frozen lake before the stranger interacted with her again with a smirk, it's red eyes shining through the visor.

"What's the matter? Scared?"

"Who... who are you?"

"Call me... the Boogeyman."

As the Boogeyman raised his claw to strike at Tulip, who braced herself for the worst, she heard a voice she never thought she'd hear again.

"Leave Ms. Tulip alone, you big bully!"

Tulip and the Boogeyman then turned to the source of the voice, which was none other than...

"One-One? You came back?"

While Tulip became surprised and grateful, the Boogeyman only gave a glare towards the robot.

"So, that's where you've been. Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down."

As the Boogeyman proceeded to stalk towards One-One, Tulip became worried for him. One-One was one of the first friends she ever had on this train, as well as the one who'd always come back to her. This situation was no different now. She wouldn't let anything happen to her friends if she could help it. This was her chance to prove it. And she acted on it as she grabbed the Boogeyman's leg and pulled on it.

"No!"

As a result, she tripped him as he fell to the snow before she got up and scooped One-One up, leaving the Boogeyman behind as he growled while he got back up and brushed the snow off of him as he set his sights on them.

"You can run, but you can't hide..."

As the Boogeyman faded into a shadow before it hid in a tree, Tulip ran as fast as she could in the snowy woods while holding One-One as she looked back, seeing the Boogeyman wasn't chasing her. It was a surprise to her, but it's a relief that he isn't following them, at least for now. From then on, Tulip stopped by a nearby tree and got her breath before she tried to find out why he came back. After how she treated him, it still surprised her that he'd return.

"Why did you come back, One-One? I thought you—"

"I knew something was fishy about this place. I could never leave you, Ms. Tulip."

As grateful as Tulip is for One-One's loyalty, she needed to know where he's been if it could help her escape.

"Aw. Thanks, One-One. But seriously. Where have you been all this time?"

"I was trying to figure out how to get out of this place. And I figured it out!"

"You did? Well, how do we do it?"

"Well, we just need to find a door, right... there!"

Hoping that he was on the mark, Tulip looked at where One-One pointed his stub. Where they stopped, they were in the snowy fields where Tulip first woke up in. And in front of them was a lone, white door, exactly similar to the one that got Tulip here in the first place. Seeing this, Tulip became a bit confused as she looked to her companion.

"One-One, that's the door I couldn't get out of."

"No, Ms. Tulip. This door is different."

"And how do you know?"

"Open the handle and see."

Given the fact that One-One couldn't reach doorknobs to begin with, Tulip had doubts that it'll get her anywhere. But she didn't have any choice but to try anyway in case the Boogeyman was following them. So, Tulip turned the handle and opened it before she ended up seeing a darker version of the hallway. The walls were stained with grey, the light fixtures turned black, and the carpet was just as muted in color as the lamps. This caught Tulip by surprise as she gazed at the gloomy hallway before she stepped inside.

"Whoa... One-One, how did you know we'd go to this place?"

"I didn't. I just had a good feeling about this door."

"A good feeling?"

It wasn't exactly a sound reason like every other situation. And yet... it turned out to be very helpful in this situation. One-One has a strong feeling of the willies around Tulip's "parents" while his good feelings led them to this door. Maybe it could help them get out of this death trap and save her friends. Speaking of, Tulip heard several voices that sounded of misery and fear. She looked to her left to see an open door where Atticus was on a doctor's table and strapped in as the doctor, dressed in a white attire, a blue mask for the mouth, and glasses, held a syringe in his hand.

"It's time for your vaccination, my friend."

"Let me go, you demon! I do not need to be vaccinated! I don't!"

"Atticus..."

Then, Tulip heard Bryce's sobs as she looked to her right, seeing Bryce on the floor, mourning the loss of his parents. It was the saddest she'd ever seen Bryce, and she's not sure if she liked it at all.

"This is all my fault... I let this happen...!"

That's when Tulip realized something, considering her attacker's sudden visit. Bryce and Penny's disappearance, the shadow that took away Atticus, the way her parents treated her, the portal that took her here... he must've been the one behind all of it. That must be why One-One was so worried. How could any human being enjoy tormenting another, much less pull it off so elaborately despite what she knew? The answer was simple: it wasn't human, at least as far as she knew.

"I get it now. This whole car was a trap. And we walked right into it."

"It's alright, Ms. Tulip. We can still save the others."

"You really think we can?"

As Tulip felt hopeful, Sad One gave out his interpretation of the situation.

"You can only save one of them, though."

Looking between the two doors, Tulip knew he was right about the situation, though the outcome is not known to be likely. If they managed to get out of their prison, Tulip can help the others out of theirs. Though, it's obvious that she had to choose between Bryce and Atticus. With the latter being in more imminent danger, Tulip easily knew who to choose. Still, Tulip felt concerned about how Bryce must feel.

She preferred it when she didn't have to worry about him, but Tulip knew it must be the guilt getting to her. Or was it? It could just as easily have been something else that made her so sad to see him like this. Was One-One right the first time? Perhaps he was, but at the same time, she didn't want Atticus to get hurt. So, with a glance of compassion, Tulip looked to Bryce one last time.

"Hang in there, Bryce."

With that, Tulip went inside the door that held Atticus under threat of being fixed. All the King could do was struggle in the strap that held him captive on the bed, making him growl as he inquired of the doctor.

"Why can't you just get it over with already?!"

"Your struggling will ruin the procedure. Now, hold still..."

Just then, the doctor was interrupted by Tulip, who shoved him far away from Atticus and to a wall as he grunted. With the doctor down and out, Atticus looked up in surprise to see Tulip and One-One as she unclipped the strap and moved it off of him.

"Tulip?"

"Atticus! Thank goodness. Are you okay?"

"I believe so, considering I haven't been impaled by that ice pick."

Looking back to the doctor she'd just incapacitated, Tulip noticed the syringe on the floor by the doctor and began to guess what Atticus was afraid of.

"Wait. You're afraid of getting shots?"

"My body is a temple, Tulip, and it must never be defiled."

Silly as the reason turned out to be, Tulip nonetheless grew relieved that Atticus was still around as she smiled while petting him near his crown before Glad One reminded her about Bryce.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"But what about Mr. Bryce?"

Tulip then looked over to the other door where she saw Bryce's tragic breakdown. Somehow, every time she looked at him in this state, Tulip would feel worse and worse about him. It wasn't his fault that he had to do something extreme to help his parents. Bryce really didn't know what else to do to help them. He shouldn't have to suffer like that. Yet, here he is...

It didn't make Tulip any more likely to forgive him, knowing how he lied to her about it, but she felt sorry for him nonetheless. And it wasn't just guilt that she felt: it was all the times Bryce made her feel the happiest she'd ever been. Was that why she felt bad for him despite his lies? Maybe it was... As they got out the door from Atticus' apparent worst fear, Atticus began to feel sorry for Bryce to see him like this and tried to find out from Tulip how he became such a sad shell.

"Tulip, I realize that it must've occurred during my absence, but what happened?"

"I don't know, Atticus. I just found him like this. But, it looks like he's upset about his parents. He must think it's all real."

Sad One considered it to be more vindictive than the rest of the cars he'd been to as he spoke before Glad One had a suggestion on how to approach him.

"Maybe it is. At least then there'd actually be consequences that remind us how fragile life really is."

"Maybe we should talk to him."

The little robot tried to go to him, only for Tulip to hold her hand in front of One-One and stop him.

"No. I got this, One-One. You just make sure Atticus is alright. This is personal."

While Tulip went to Bryce, Glad One naturally obliged while Sad One felt unsure about Atticus' condition as Atticus felt it best to warn her in case she's thinking anything hostile.

"Oh, I see. Got it."

"Hold on. How do we know he won't have rabies?"

"Just be sure to go easy on him, Tulip. His mind is in a fragile place."

With a nod, Tulip proceeded to Bryce's door of fear as One-One and Atticus stayed behind, not quite sure how to help someone who may be too broken to fix...

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce had just ceased his tears, though he still mourns for his parents as Tulip walked in through the door that led to his own personal torture. If Tulip thought she felt bad before, she'd feel even worse from the sight of her parents' corpses. The Boogeyman must've hit him where it really hurt, for all she knew. Still, Tulip had to work up the nerve to speak to him after how they last spoke.

"Bryce? Are you okay?"

Upon hearing her voice, Bryce began to move his head up, but he still remained where he sat. Surprised as he was to hear her again, Bryce felt she was wasting her time just by being around him. He was responsible for what happened to his parents and to Penny. Tulip shouldn't be around a failure like him, let alone a criminal.

"My parents died right in front of me, Tulip. How do you think I feel?"

For an answer, there was utter silence. Reading the message in his hurt tone, Tulip felt she should've known how obvious it was for him to be distraught and became embarrassed. Yet, at the same time, Tulip felt it sad that Bryce would just believe that his parents truly died. And she didn't want him to be like that anymore as she tried to give him the gist of the way this car worked.

"Right. You're, uh, probably wondering what I'm doing here."

"I guess."

Met with his indifferent tone, Tulip took a deep breath, trying to compose herself as she tried to shorten the sum of her experience in this car.

"Okay. So, to make a long story short, I tried to go and look for you and Penny, but this whole car... it was a trap. Which means your parents that died right in front of you, I— I don't want to hurt your feelings, but they're not your real parents. It's part of the Boogeyman's trap."

Hearing the name, Bryce had a hard time thinking about who could be named such a thing. Then, he remembered that figure who pushed him through the door when his shadow merged with it. It all made sense about what's happened around him now. However, it didn't do anything to change his tone.

"The Boogeyman? Is that who put me here?"

"I think so. The point is, what I'm trying to say is—"

"Don't even bother. You're done with me, remember?"

"Bryce, I know what I said, but—"

"Then why are you here? You shouldn't be anywhere near me after what I did to you. You should be finding a way out of this nightmare of a car and leave me behind. It's for the best, anyway."

For the best? Is that how he felt since she told him to go away? Maybe it wasn't entirely the Boogeyman's fault for the way Bryce was. She hurt him too...

"Bryce... look, I'm sorry about what I said back there. I was just upset that you'd keep something like that from us. I'm not saying I support what you did, but you did it to save the people you loved. And despite how wrong it turned out, you were always there for us. That says a lot about who you are. You're a good person."

"Or a failure..."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. How long have we been on this train, really? Even if we do get back home, even if they weren't my real parents, the ones back home? They'd still be dead, my grandma would be scared to death, desperately looking for me, and that's not even the worst of it. The worst part of all this, the _absolute_ worst, is that I lied to my family, my friends, and I broke the law, hoping it'll be enough to save the people I guess what? ALL OF THAT WAS FOR NOTHING!"

As Bryce shouted, he smashed his fists against the linoleum floor beside the counterfeit parents. With Bryce on the verge of releasing his tears again, Tulip couldn't stand to see him broken anymore and tried to tell him how she felt to break the cycle of misery, only for him to persist.

"Bryce..."

"Go ahead. Say it. Say I deserved it. What else are you here for, if not that?"

Tulip couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew Bryce messed up big time, but she didn't think it would make him think he had no chance with anyone, not that she would've cared before when she was still angry. But after what she went through, Tulip realized that fake or not, her parents were right about her. She didn't think of herself that way, but it showed in how she behaved from the start of this journey. Truth was, she wasn't any better than he was. And it was a truth she's not comfortable with, but she needed to tell him.

"I'm here... to tell you how I really feel about you, about... us."

Bryce's memory began to stir from Tulip's words. He began to remember each time the two of them blushed when the thought of them being together like that entered their minds. After what he did to them, she's still thinking about that? He tried to figure that out as he stood up and looked to her.

"Us? What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean neither one of us was off the hook for the stuff we did. We both got trapped in this train, and... we're both suffering. But it didn't stop you. You tried everything you could to keep your friends alive. Including me. I didn't have any other choice but to play along with every situation that got thrown at me, whether I wanted to or not."

"What exactly is your point, Tulip?"

"My point is, I think the reason we got as far as we did up till now was because we had each other. We helped each other become better. And there's... there's something else I want to tell you."

"What's that? That you're sorry for driving me away?"

"No, it's not that. But yeah, I am. I can't say what you did was right, but it wasn't on you. You were just so scared of what was going to happen. I can't blame you for that."

"Well, if you're not here to say sorry, then what _are _you trying to say?"

Tulip became stunted to hear such a callous tone. In spite of it, she persisted in speaking her mind.

"That I... I don't know if I should trust you, or forgive you after what you put us through... but no matter what you did, one thing is never going to change because of what you did for us, because of what you did for me. What I really wanted to say was... I love you."

For a moment, it made Bryce soften his glare into a stare with tears coming down his face. But it didn't last long. Bryce knew that after what he did, he deserved no second chance. By now, any profession of love from Tulip might as well have been a lie. And he refused to believe it as he pushed Tulip back with a shove as he shouted, making One-One and Atticus concerned.

"DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME! How could _anyone _love me after what I did?! I used you, lied to you, put you all in danger!"

As his temper escalated, Bryce grabbed Tulip by the collar of her jacket and pulled her face closer to his.

"Why don't you just tell me that you want nothing to do with me, that you hate me, that you wish you never met me, or— you know what? Why don't you say all of that and JUST GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY?!"

Nervous as she had become from Bryce's temper tantrum, Tulip still stayed in place. She knew she'd told him what was truly in her heart. He needed to see it. And so, Tulip continued to speak to him, her voice a little shaken from how sudden he blew up at her as she held her arms around him, making him release her jacket in surprise.

"Because it's not the truth. And friends always have to be honest with each other. You were honest with me. It's the least I could do."

The truth... the last time Bryce told Tulip the truth, she told him to go away, which was to be expected from the severity of his actions. Now, here she is, doing the same thing and getting the same results. But unlike him, she didn't run away. Not from him... It was far more than he ever deserved. Thus, he couldn't contain his tears anymore and returned the gesture as he cried on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..."

As Bryce sobbed on her shoulder, Tulip tried to give him the comfort she had to offer as she brushed his hair back.

"It's okay. Let's get back to the others."

Having received confirmation of Tulip's feelings towards him, Bryce gave her a nod.

* * *

After that, One-One and Atticus could see Tulip and Bryce beside each other as they walked out the door. As Tulip and Bryce noticed the pair, One-One tried to check with her to see if he was better than the last time they saw him.

"Ms. Tulip, is Mr. Bryce alright?"

"Yeah, One-One. He's okay, now."

While Glad One and Atticus found it a relief that they're still friends in spite of what happened between them, Sad One found it deplorable in his taste.

"Yay! You two are friends again!"

"That ending was so cliché."

"Well, I'm glad you were able to resolve your conflict, but we mustn't remain in this trap any longer."

Speaking of traps, Bryce remembered when he was framed for Penny's abduction and murder. He knew it couldn't have been real, because it was something he'd never do. And now that he learned it was all a trap, Bryce wanted to leave with Penny as soon as possible. However, he took notice of her being missing among the group and tried to ask One-One about that.

"Hold on. Where's Penny?"

"We still didn't find her yet, Mr. Bryce."

"What?! Why?!"

"You and Atticus were the first people we found."

This got him very worried. Whether she'd want to be near him or not, Bryce promised to look after her. And if this car could break him like a toy, then he wouldn't dare to think about leaving Penny behind in this monstrosity. When he objected, Tulip couldn't agree more with him as she turned to Atticus for assistance.

"We can't leave yet. Not without Penny."

"Don't worry. I think I know how to find her. Atticus, think you can use your nose to find her again?"

"I'll try my best."

While Atticus took heavy sniffs on the carpet, catching stronger scents of the same ominous variety, he also began to smell a faint presence of Penny. It was originally strong in their side of reality, but with the shadows being dominant factors in this plane, Atticus considered it like finding a needle in a haystack. Though in this case, he might've been the lucky one, much to the determination of Bryce.

"Alright. The scent is faint amidst the ominous odor, but I found her."

"Where is she, Atticus?"

"My nose is telling me that she went into..."

Atticus continued to sniff around the dark hallway, sniffing near various doors as he followed her scent. It was a matter of seconds before Atticus stopped at the last door Penny entered as he entered a pointer position.

"This door."

As the group looked at the door Atticus pointed at, Tulip recognized it as the first door that she opened whereas Bryce recognized it as the door where the Boogeyman pushed him inside it. Could Penny have found a way to escape on her own? Personally, Bryce hoped she did. At least then, she'd be out of danger. However, One-One's glad side diminished that hope as a small whimper came over him, making Bryce confused before Tulip reminded him of what this car was.

"Now, I've got a really, really bad feeling about this door."

"Huh? Since when were you so afraid?"

"Since we got into a car that torments you with your worst fear."

"Okay, good point. But Penny's in there. If there's a chance she's still inside, we have to take it. Or at least, I have to."

Tulip found it easier to understand since Penny didn't exactly leave on better terms. It must've made him incredibly worried as a brother. She can't claim to understand how that feels, but Tulip knew finding her was important to him, especially since she'd grown on her. Penny was her friend, too, after all. And she gripped her hand on Bryce's to remind him of that before One-One and Atticus pitched in.

"We'll take that chance together, Bryce. Penny is just as important to me as she is to you."

"Oh! Oh! And me!"

"And me."

"And I, as well."

After what he did to the group, Bryce grew more and more surprised by their support. What did he ever do to deserve such good friends?

"Guys... why are you trying so hard to help me? I don't owe you anything."

Sad One was the first to answer in agreement with him before his happier side and Atticus gave their own reasons.

"Sometimes, I wonder."

"Oh, that's easy. It's because you're a guy who did the wrong stuff for the right reason. Kinda makes it so exciting."

"As King of Corginia, while I cannot turn a blind eye to your crimes, I understand your desire to live up to such a responsibility. Anyone can make a mistake, albeit an illegal one, but it takes a great measure to learn from them. And as far as I can tell, you've learned a great deal."

Overcome with such loyalty, Bryce felt grateful that he had friends like his. In spite of what he'd done, they'd still do everything to help him. How could he ever repay a debt like this?

"Thanks, guys... let's do this."

Nodding to each other, they braced themselves as Bryce opened the door in front of them. What they found inside was about as shocking as it can get. On the other side of that door was a dark room with several T.V. monitors set up as surveillance. That must be how the Boogeyman tracked them down. But it wasn't the cameras that shocked them. It was who was in the center of the room that horrified them, Bryce most of all: Penny.

"No...! Get away from me..."

The way she laid on the hospital bed, groaning and twitching in place, Penny looked like she must've been the Boogeyman's first victim. How could anyone torture someone so young and innocent? It was enough to break even a grown man's heart. And Bryce's was no exception. He wanted to be there for her like a big brother should be, but he didn't even do that right. All he could think to do was run to her and hug her tightly as he ran to the little girl. When he got to her, Bryce could see her terrified face, and began to feel responsible for her condition as One-One, Atticus, and Tulip went by his side.

"Penny... what's going on with you?

"She must be losing all meaning of life."

"Tormenting royalty is one thing, but to deliberately subject a child to this? It's too horrible to forgive."

"What kind of monster would do that to her?"

As an answer, the group heard a sinister voice speaking to them from behind.

"Me."

Feeling the dark chill of the voice behind her, Tulip knew all too well who it belonged to. She gasped just as she turned behind her to see the Boogeyman about to attack her with his clawed glove. Before he could get her, Bryce got in the way and blocked his glove with his arm, his palm stopping just on top of it. The Boogeyman attempted to counter with another claw of his to stab him, but before he could, Bryce moved in to do a headbutt on him. It turned into a mistake very quickly as while the alleged Boogeyman stumbled back, Bryce ended up with a headache as his quick-thinking made him headbutt the rusted, metal visor on his head, making him rub his forehead as Tulip checked on him.

"You okay, Bryce?"

"Barely. What about you?"

"I'm okay."

"Good."

The Boogeyman, on the other hand, seemed to be irritated as he growled from Bryce's retaliation. As Bryce put on his game face, making a determined look towards him as he got out cubed sword from the Grid Car, One-One was keeping score as Atticus growled at him while Tulip gave him her glare.

"Mr. Bryce one, Boogeyman, zero!"

Despite the way things appeared for him, the Boogeyman was unfazed by the situation, though he was irritated with the pain near his eye area that resulted from Bryce's headbutt.

"So it seems. I take it you're here to stop me."

"What do you think?"

"I think you're too late, little flower."

Hearing the Boogeyman's moniker towards Tulip, Bryce became confused as he looked over to her before getting back to what he meant by those words.

"Little flower?"

"Don't even get me started."

"What do you mean we're too late?"

"Your friend is already in a deep sleep. And in that sleep is her worst nightmare. As it stands now, she'll relive every minute of it for the rest of her life."

"She'll what?"

"That's right. She'll never wake up now, no matter how much you scream or shake her awake..."

As the Boogeyman taunted Bryce, he started to get upset. This can't be happening, not like this. It has to be the nightmare. It just has to be. Sadly, it was just as real as the number on his hand. His hands began to shake with fury, whereas the Boogeyman assumed it was out of another wave of terror setting in his skin as he continued onward while Tulip tried to calm him down.

"Bryce, calm down."

"Truth is, you couldn't save her any more than you could save your own parents. Nothing you do will ever change that, Mr. Gideon. And it's all your fault."

As the Boogeyman began to laugh in a soft volume, Bryce began to tense his grip on his sword as Tulip could already tell what was going to happen. He saw his temper flare at her up close, and she didn't like it at all. If he let his temper explode now, the Boogeyman would have the advantage over him. This was something she didn't want to happen on her conscience.

"Bryce, don't listen to him. He's not worth it."

But Tulip's plea fell on deaf ears. All Bryce heard was the rancid and depraved laughter from the Boogeyman playing on loop, echoing his failure as a son and as a brother. He'd had enough of it. As his temper rise to fever pitch, his hands clenched very tightly on his cubed sword before he yelled out in a fury and ran towards the Boogeyman, making Tulip frightened for his life.

"Bryce, no!"

"You're a dead man walking, Boogeyman!"

With Bryce barreling towards him, the Boogeyman continued his laughter as Bryce swung his cubed sword. The moment he did, however, the Boogeyman turned into a dark mist that went through Bryce as his laughter echoed. Finding no trace of the Boogeyman, Bryce became more flustered than he'd ever been as he swung his sword around in a fit of rage, clearing the mist away as Tulip went over to him, trying to stop his outburst before it got worse.

"Bryce, stop! He's gone."

To Bryce, it didn't matter if he was gone. The Boogeyman had already hit him too close to home twice now. The first time was when he forced him to watch his parents die in front of him. And now, he is left completely helpless to do anything. There's nothing he can do to help Penny. She's stuck in her nightmare forever, and it's because of him.

"What does that matter?! Penny's never going to wake up! I was supposed to protect her, Tulip! And I failed, just like I failed to save mom and dad! She's gone, Tulip."

"No. She can't be, not after what we just went through. There has to be a way to—"

"You heard what he said, Tulip. She'll never wake up again. And it's all my fault..."

Faced with this sad reality, Tulip and Bryce looked back to see Penny's cringing, groaning, unconscious body as One-One was on top of her, paying his respects to her. Since he'd first met her, the little robot was fond of her happy smile and positive outlook. And now, he'd never get to see any of them ever again. His sad side seemed to be the most upset side as he hugged her with his stubs.

"I'll miss you, Penny. You were too good for this world."

Just then, Penny's arms began to wrap themselves around One-One and squeezed as tight as she could on him. Whatever she's going through, Penny must see One-One as a source of comfort. For further validation of this, Penny spoke to One-One in a soft voice as a tear escaped her eye.

"I miss you too, One-One. Please don't go..."

Seeing Penny speak with One-One unconsciously, Atticus took notice of this and tried to tell Bryce and Tulip about the development.

"Bryce! Tulip! Come over here!"

As they heard Atticus' tone, Bryce and Tulip became concerned about what it meant. Could something terrible be happening to Penny?

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Atticus?"

"Penny hugged One-One in her sleep."

Seeing Penny holding tightly on One-One, Bryce failed to see how it could help their situation. Although, Tulip began to see where Atticus was getting at as she looked to him for further detail.

"How is that supposed to make me feel any better, Atticus? All it's doing is remind me how I failed to save her."

"Wait. Atticus, did Penny say anything when she hugged him?"

"Well, she said that she missed One-One and that she did not wish him to go."

"That's it."

While Tulip had a face that suggested she had an idea, she proceeded to hug Penny next to One-One. Though, in the midst of his grief, it was still lost on Bryce.

"You too, Tulip? That's not gonna help Penny wake up."

"Actually, I think it might."

While Tulip held Penny, One-One was forced to move as she lifted her up into her arms, she began speaking to Penny as she slept.

"Penny, can you hear me? It's Tulip."

"Huh? Tulip...?"

Seeing Penny respond to Tulip despite her sleeping, Bryce was dumbfounded. Usually, people who sleep wouldn't hear anything. And the Boogeyman said that she'd be asleep forever no matter how much anyone would scream or jolt her. Maybe there was a way to help her wake up...

"Yeah, Penny. It's me."

"You're trapped here, too?"

"No. No, I'm awake. And the others are, too. But we need you to wake up."

"I can't...! No matter how hard I try, I can't...!"

Bryce just couldn't take it anymore. He lost her and then he found her just to learn she'd never come back. But with evidence possibly to the contrary, he just couldn't let this go on. So, he joined in on the hug as he held Penny adjacent to Tulip before he tried to speak to her while One-One went up on Tulip's arm to get to her shoulder.

"Yes, you can, Penny. I know you can."

Once she heard his voice, Penny began to show longing in her tone in spite of the softness in her voice.

"Bryce...? Is that you...?"

This was a hard moment for Bryce to endure. The way she sounded, it was like she'd just been hurt in a way that can't be fixed, and it's put her closer to death. Worst of all, he knows it's his fault for making her run away. He owed this to her.

"Yeah, Penny. It's me. And I'm... I'm sorry for everything I've done. I know what I did was wrong. It's not what family was supposed to do, and I let you down. I let all of you down..."

Forced to look at the constant reminder of his failure as a friend and as a brother, it was becoming harder and harder for Bryce not to shed tears over her body as he, nonetheless, proceeded. While he did, he began to get Tulip, One-One, and Atticus' attention and sympathy, though he didn't care at this point.

"But... but I didn't come all this way just to let you go, not while I can make this right! You can hate me all you want, and I-I wouldn't blame you one bit! I just want you back! Please, come back, and I promise... I'll do everything I can to make my sister happy again. I promise..."

Having said his peace, Bryce began to sob over her as Tulip began to place her hands around Bryce while holding Penny, who slowly began to stir as she spoke gently, though Bryce didn't notice as he was still grieving.

"You... you called me 'sister.'"

"Yeah... what else could you be? But you know what? Even if you weren't... I'd always love you..."

Just then, Penny began to hug Bryce, moving upwards on him so that she could put her arms around his neck while her head rested on his shoulders, surprising him as he didn't think she'd move again. To add to it, her voice no longer sounded frail like she was close to death. Now, it sounded grateful and happy, the tone that Bryce had every hope of hearing again after what's occurred between them.

"I love you, too... big brother."

Those words alone was enough to shock Bryce enough to open his eyes. Can it be? Did she really wake up from her nightmare? To confirm that she has, Bryce lifted Penny away from him enough to see her face. When he did, he saw that her eyes were open again, with tears streaming down her own face. She has risen from her slumber...

"Penny!"

Overcome with much-needed joy, Bryce held Penny closer to him as he laughed while Tulip smiled at the scene before hugging them next while One-One joined in, hugging Penny's head with his stubs as Atticus went up on Bryce's leg and looked up to her, smiling to the little girl. When the group had finished their hugs, Bryce began to hug Penny very tightly.

"You had me scared to death since you went in there, Penny. I'm never letting you go by yourself ever again, do you hear me?"

"Okay, okay. Can you let me go, please?"

Realizing that he was squishing her, Bryce became embarrassed and set her down before he rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."

While Penny gave a smile to her older brother, Tulip noticed a door just on the far side that was shown to be glowing white through the cracks. Maybe it's the way out of this car.

"Guys, look. There's another door."

As the group all looked to that door, One-One felt like he was the safest he'd been with that door.

"Oh! I'm having a very, very, very good feeling about this one."

Considering their circumstances, Bryce felt that feelings alone wouldn't be enough proof, but Tulip knew it meant good news coming from him as the group walked towards it.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'd go with One-One on this. Trust me."

To prove her point, Tulip opened the door to show the same hallway they first came into. However, at the end of it was their escape in the form of a red door with the same symbol that signified the exit. This was a blessing after what they'd all went through. Immediately, they all ran to the door through the hall before Tulip opened it and let everyone out before she closed the door behind her. Once they knew they were safe, the group began to catch their breaths as they panted before Tulip spoke in between breaths.

"We. Are never. Going to that car. Again."

After the group caught their breath, Penny looked to Bryce, recalling everything he'd told her while she was asleep.

"Did you really mean it? Would you really make me happy?"

"Yeah. Anything for my little sister."

It brought exceeding joy to the little girl as she hugged Bryce again, knocking him to the floor as she laughed before she spoke to him.

"Thank you, big brother."

"Sure. Anytime."

While Penny giggled from how fast she pushed him to the floor, Bryce made a smile to himself. After what he went through, he had a right mind to worry about what would come next. But as long as his little sister is with him, everything would be okay.

* * *

At least, that's what he thought, but little did he know that back in the nightmare-fueled car, the Boogeyman was watching them on one of his monitors. He appeared to be unfazed at the fact that Penny was able to wake up despite his claims that she never would. As far as he was concerned, it was all part of the plan. People were always so manipulated by fear, they'd do anything to stave it off, and this group was no exception. He then gave a devilish smirk to them as his shadow arrived back in the room with the company of a silhouette of Tulip and Bryce, both of them formless copies with sinister, red eyes, and traveled just underneath the figure before he spoke.

"You gave them quite the show, my friend. But that's just Act One. The rest of the show is just getting started..."

Just then, his communicator on his right wrist began emitting static as a familiar voice that belonged to one who bore a personal grudge against Bryce spoke through it.

"Osore, did you tag the girl?"

"Of course. And with the wonderful spectacle my shadow performed, they suspected nothing of it."

"How can you be so sure they won't figure that out as they go along?"

This earned a sinister smile from Osore as he answered her.

"I can assure you this, Night Shroud. Even if they do, it'll already be too late. No matter where they go, they'll never be able to hide again."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

**A/N: Dun-dun-dun! Quite the surprise, isn't it? In case you're wondering about the villain, his name would be Osore while his shadow would call itself the Boogeyman, and both would be voiced by Kevin Conroy in this instance. On a minor note, Officer Samson would be portrayed by David Koechner. But, on a more serious note, things will have a hard time smoothing down with the group. They think their terror was over, but as Osore said, this is just Act One. More mysteries and danger will await them. To top it off, Penny's nightmare still has yet to be revealed. What could it be? I'll leave that to you to figure it out... Until then, Happy Halloween. ;)**


	9. The Cat Car

**A/N: Hi, everyone. This is my first chapter of Act Two for Bryce's Story. I didn't really consider the Act One or Act Two kind of thing until the last chapter, but here it is. Also, I happened to come across quite a load of unused music for Infinity Train in general, and they are spectacular, though I only listened to about two of them. If you have some ideas for what track could be used in what situation, please P.M. me or send a review about it. Thank you. :)**

**Act II - ****Chapter VIII: **The Cat's Car

It had been quite some time since Bryce, Tulip, Penny, One-One, and Atticus survived the terror of the Fear Car. Never before had they entered such a place where one's own fears could strike in a place so vulnerable. Even One-One was petrified of the place. But its terrors are behind them, now. Now, they can finally go forward again. Moving on from what they learned, though, would be a challenge.

Since finding out what he'd done prior to getting on the train, Tulip lost her trust in Bryce. Because of this, while Penny, One-One, and Atticus were willing to forgive him (though the little girl wasn't so willing at first), he's working harder to gain that trust back, one car at a time. Gradual, however it was, there was progress on the way, and it put an ease to their already strained relationship. And on the way, they forged other relationships as well. For example, they'd just exited the Baseball-Dinosaur car, where they befriended a T-Rex, as well as a few raptors, that needed help with their team to win the game. Penny wanted to stay longer, but they had to move on, so they had to bid them adieu. Tulip was the first to do so as she waved to them with Bryce and Penny while Atticus took a bow.

"Thank you! We'll never forget you!"

"Hope you guys have a great time!"

"Bye!"

Grateful for their meaningful goodbyes, the T-Rex roared as he returned a wave with one of his small arms just as the door closed. With another car out of the way, Atticus tried to recall what his name was. Unfortunately, it seemed like Tulip, Bryce, and Penny had the same luck as he did.

"What was that fellow's name again?"

"I kind of already forgot."

"Wasn't his name... Rex?"

"Uh-uh. It was... um..."

Noticing how stumped Penny was, Tulip saw where this was going.

"You don't know either, do you?"

"Mm-mm."

Although, One-One had an idea for the dinosaur's name, a topic for which Bryce had a note to give to him about.

"Well, I'm gonna call him 'Mildred the Tyrannosaur'."

"Isn't Mildred a girl's name, though?"

Suddenly, the train began to jolt, earning causing Tulip, Bryce, and Penny to exclaim as they noticed the support bars going down. Even worse, the bridge they stood on was beginning to shrink, splitting up in the middle and disappearing as tile after metallic tile began to go backward. Not willing to take the chance of falling off or being ran over, the group immediately ran back to the car they just came from and watched in amazement as the car in front of them moved backward and just as another car directly on top of it was moving forward before stopping just in the space between them and going down. With the otherwise empty space filled, the bridge returned as it connected with the car that just landed in front of them before the support bats sprung back up. Tulip was utterly stricken by this feature while One-One found it exciting. Bryce, on the other hand, felt caution is necessary since the mystery of it could mean anything.

"So cars on the train can just move around?"

"I like it! It feels wild and unpredictable."

"That's what worries me, One-One. You better stay close, Penny."

"Okay."

When the group got inside the car, they took notice of the setting all around them. From what they could tell, there were various items, tchotchkes, and relics as far as the eye can see. It was quite the eye-catcher for Penny as she smiled while Bryce, Tulip, Atticus, and One-One went inside as she was riding on her big brother's shoulders.

"Whoa."

"What is this place?"

"It looks to be a study."

"What do they study, hoarding?"

Tulip gave One-One a frown at that, but he wasn't wrong. As she set him down on the table, she could see spools of yarn, as well as a glass case for laser pointers on one shelf while Bryce and Penny looked at another shelf, seeing a figurehead of a Roman Emperor. Though, it was hard to tell for Bryce whether or not it was Julius Caesar. Either way, he knew for certain that Penny wouldn't have the faintest clue about him. So, they moved on before seeing a picture of a white tiger holding a leaf in her paw while laying on a bed. While it did earn Bryce's embarrassed look, Penny was just as curious about the portrait.

"What's that?"

"Uh... Exotic."

Just then, Bryce, Penny, and Tulip heard Atticus chowing down on the junk in a trash can before the redhead scolded the Corgi for such behavior, much to his own embarrassment.

"Hey, get out of there!"

"What? Me? Never. Of course not."

In the meantime, One-One found a globe of Earth by itself as he seemed to have mistaken it for his person of interest.

"Hello, me-shaped thing. Are you my mom? And if so, where have you been?"

No answer came from the globe to answer him. After the silence, Sad One felt it a bit offensive in his opinion.

"Rude."

Just then, someone else responded to One-One's query, making the group look around for the source before looking up to see a familiar face that most of the group wished they'd never see again.

"If it isn't my favorite person named after a flower for no good reason, and with her two dear companions, no less."

Tulip gave the cat a scowl as Bryce glared at her while Atticus growled as she descended gracefully from a seemingly endless height of the car to the ground before she interacted with His Majesty.

"Calm down, dog."

Seeing the cat himself, Atticus recalled Tulip and Bryce's tale of when she swindled One-One from them. She was a perfect match of their description, but he needed to be sure as he turned to Tulip and Bryce, who set Penny onto the ground.

"Is this the cat you told me about?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Never liked her from the beginning."

One-One had a different opinion of her than the others, though. In spite of what could've happened, he considered his time with her to be fun before Penny reminded him of what she did.

"She's a real gem."

"But One-One, she tried to kidnap you, remember?"

Hearing the worry in her voice, the cat tried to feign her innocence to Penny.

"Kidnap? Is that what you think I did, sweet child?"

Frustrated with her enough as is, Bryce stepped in between the cat and Penny before he barked at her.

"Don't play innocent! You practically ripped One-One from her hands! What else would you call that?!"

"Je n'oserais jamais! I seem to recall we had a deal, your friend backed out, I left you three alone, and you abandoned me to the relentless splashes of a thousand Randalls!"

"You're a con artist! You deserved that!"

In spite of Bryce one-upping her, the cat tried her best to put it behind her as she took a deep breath before replying.

"Litter under the box."

"Just what do you want anyway?"

"Me? Why, you're the ones who oafishly stumbled into my humble abode."

Bryce and Tulip could care less about where she lived, but it caught Penny and One-One's interests as the latter's existentialistic side had a degrading note on the globe.

"Nice place, but your mom's a little quiet."

"That's not her mom, silly. It's a spinning globe thing. You spin it, like this!"

The moment Penny spun the globe, however, she inadvertently earned the cat's reprimand as her claws stuck out in threat of scratching her up while baring her fangs, startling Penny as she yelped from the sudden outburst and stopped the globe from spinning.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

Once the cat saw her shocked face, she tried to correct herself and explain why she reacted the way she did.

"I apologize. Everything here is... extremely important to me."

Penny could detect the personal longing in her voice before she tried to make up for what could've happened, only for Bryce to interfere.

"Oh. Sorry for scaring you like that."

"Don't be, Penny. _You_ didn't do anything wrong. Besides, it's just a piece of junk anyway."

Not wanting to spend one more minute with the cat, Bryce grabbed Penny's hand and walked with her and Tulip (who picked up One-One from the table) as they headed for the other door out of the car before One-One spoke to the cat in separate tones.

"Goodbye, former kidnapper!"

"I miss you already, and it's emotionally confusing."

Seeing them slip away from her grasp, the cat became more desperate in her interaction, though she did her best to hide it as she hopped onto the table beside Bryce and Tulip.

"Wait! Don't you want to explore the kismet that brought us together?"

This only earned a resounding no from the both of them with Tulip responding first.

"Nope. I don't trust you."

"Least of all, me. I made a mistake getting mixed up with people like you once. And I'll never let that happen again."

Alas, it did not deter the cat's smile as she went up on the furniture before landing on a shelf holding VHS tapes of sorts just above the exit door.

"That prickles my whiskers, kittens. But I understand. Au revoir— Ooh!"

Before she could finish her goodbyes, the tapes began to fall out of the shelf and land on the floor in front of the group. This was the first Penny saw anything like that, so she was incredulously curious about them as the cat felt a bit embarrassed to have that happen to her.

"Huh?"

"Oh, my. Be a dear and help me with those fallen items, would you? I'd do it myself, but, well, you know."

As the cat flexed her paw to show that she had no thumbs, Bryce began to feel suspicious about it. Yet, it was true that she couldn't pick them up herself, even if she wanted to. She could try it with her mouth, but she must not want to risk damaging the items with her teeth. Still, he and Tulip gave a groan before begrudgingly helping the cat out with the result of her misstep. When they picked up the tapes that fell, however, Tulip and Bryce let out surprised gasps while Penny became confused before they looked up to the cat as he spoke to her first.

"Where did you get these?"

"I procure so many wonderful things. Why?"

"Because it's got my name on it."

Bryce immediately showed his tape to the cat, the words indicated in green as "Bryce Gideon" before Tulip held out hers that showed the words "Tulip Olsen".

"And this one's got my name, too."

Seeing the two of them take interest in the tapes, the cat made a look of intrigue before she went down to them.

"Oh! Are these two yours? I suppose we ought to give them a look, hmm?"

One-One seemed to be all in for the cat's suggestion as he chimed in before Atticus became cautious about what it could mean for his friends.

"Great idea."

"Careful, you two. I don't trust it."

Bryce was the one to agree with Atticus while Tulip had a general concern for what these tapes mean.

"You and me both."

"But what if they're important?"

To answer, the cat jumped off from the shelf and got the tapes from Tulip and Bryce before placing each one in a VHS player, of which there were two of them. They'd never noticed it personally, but there were two TV sets as well as two VHS players. If that wasn't a dead ringer for red flags to Bryce before, it definitely was in this situation.

"Of course they are. These tapes contain everything that makes you you. Every passenger has one."

This answer made Tulip curious. She was reminded of when she and Penny talked about the other passengers on here. To be frank, it unsettled her. Though, Sad One was primarily focused on the other meaning of the term.

"Every passenger?

"Guess you're not special."

"Even the bad ones?"

"_Especially _the bad ones, kitten. Regardless, every one of them has a little number, just like you two."

Curious as it made Bryce, he began to suspect that the cat didn't trip those tapes off the shelf on accident. But Tulip, on the other hand, had a bunch of questions about the number forming in her head already as Bryce sat in one chair while Tulip sat in the other with a small round table in between the chairs as Penny laid on his lap while One-One and Atticus were near Tulip's chair.

"How is this connected to our numbers? Who made it? How does it help us?"

"Tulip, I think you should be asking why the cat dragged this out to begin with instead of just telling us about the tapes."

"My friends, it would be much simpler if we just watch."

Suspicious as he was, Bryce admittedly did not have a lot of knowledge about his own number any more than Tulip did hers. For now, he decided to humor her and reach for his VHS player to press play. Tulip did the same thing, but she became hesitant as her finger neared the button. Seeing how Atticus was cautious about it, perhaps this may not be the best option after all. However, the cat had other plans as she gave her a gentle push.

"Uh..."

"In you go."

As Tulip's finger pushed the button, Bryce looked to Penny, seeing the genuine concern on her face as she didn't quite understand how tapes worked. Atticus was just as concerned with the cat involved. Perhaps it was a lifetime rivalry of cats and dogs passed down, but he held no trust for her.

"Is it gonna be safe?"

"I don't know, Penny. That's what we're going to find out."

"Bryce, I'm not sure about this."

"Me neither. But what other choice is there?"

The cat then gave a satisfied smirk towards Atticus as she laid on the table in between the chairs before she and Bryce looked into their own screens, seeing the snow come up, a typical static pattern for TVs while Atticus continued his warning.

"Maybe we should—"

Suddenly, Tulip and Bryce felt an overpowering sensation come over them as they gasped before their black pupils became just as staticky as their TVs.

* * *

The next thing Bryce knew, he wasn't in the cat's car anymore. Far as he could tell, he's in a sort of blank canvas. Nothing and no one was anywhere around him, not even Tulip, who was sitting beside him a moment ago. When it dawned on him that she wasn't around, Bryce tried to find anyone who was near him in this apparent prison for any sign of them if they happened to get caught in it, too.

"Tulip? Penny? One-One? Atticus? Guys, can you hear me?!"

There was no other sound in the canvas but an echo of his own. But, there was no reason to panic just yet. Maybe they were fortunate enough not to look into it. Not that it made much difference in his case. Still, he knew who to blame for his predicament as he growled.

"Unbelievable... why did I ever listen to that cat?!"

After the brief echo, Bryce let out a disgruntled sigh before noticing the only splotch on the canvas: a staticky screen. Could that be what the other side of that TV was?

"What the...?"

Strangely enough, the static square began to get bigger and bigger. Perplexing as it was, Bryce felt as though he shouldn't find out what'll happen if it touches him. Acting on that thought, he began to run from it only to bump into the canvas itself and fall backward with a grunt. Rubbing his head from the collision, Bryce began to hear another voice on the other side in a faint volume that started rising.

"_Bryce?! Penny?! Atticus?! One-One?!"_

Bryce couldn't believe his ears. He was hearing Tulip's voice. Immediately, he shot back up, looking to where he just collided into the canvas. Through the invisible wall, he came across the good and bad news. The good news is, he found Tulip. Bad news is, she's on the other side, completely at the mercy of her own screen.

"Tulip! I'm over here!"

On her side, Tulip turned to his voice just behind her, seeing Bryce in the same situation as her.

"Bryce?! What's going on?!"

"I don't know! But I think the cat might was trying to trap us!"

But in their crisis, the cat was the least of their problems. When they looked behind themselves, the screens started to get smaller and smaller as it went up closer to their faces. Tulip and Bryce feared the worst was going to happen to them, turning their heads as far away as they could to protect themselves. Planning to at least get one last look at her before the inevitable, Bryce opened his eyes to see Tulip's screen changing from static to a video of a cute baby with a red shirt, a diaper, and a ponytail plucking an ornament from what looked like a Christmas tree, only for the whole thing to go along with it, landing on top of the little baby girl. It made no sense to Bryce at first why the screen would show that, but at present, they don't appear to be threatening.

"Uh, Tulip? You might wanna see this."

Tulip, reluctant as she was, turned to the screen to see the video herself just as her parents, all dressed in red, both sweaters and sweat pants, came to the little girl's aide, lifting the tree off of her as her mother held her up, though she was still smiling while her father checked up on her.

"Oh, no. Are you okay, honey?"

Seeing the picture crystal clear, Tulip recognized who those parents were. And more importantly, who the child was: it was her.

"I remember that..."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It was our first Christmas together. When I was around..."

The screen then proceeded to show Tulip another memory as it showed her with another student, a girl with a light purple jacket, a yellow shirt underneath, and a bow around her head just outside her afro-style hair as she began chanting before Tulip.

"Corn nutters! Corn nutters!"

"Bucket, bucket, bucket!"

This was a face Bryce hasn't seen before, so he became curious about her.

"Who's that?"

"It's Mikayla. We go to Middle School together. Or, at least, we used to before—"

"Before the train, right?"

"Uh... yeah."

On Bryce's end, his screen began to show a memory of when he was a little boy, tying a string on the fireplace that would trigger a surprise photo-op, much to Tulip's curiosity before Bryce took notice himself.

"Bryce, is that you?"

"I guess."

As the video went on, his father came into view before he spoke with a smile and a laugh to him.

"Bryce, what are you doing?"

"I'm setting a trap for Santa, dad. I'm gonna be the only kid in School who's ever gotten a picture of Santa Claus!"

"I think Santa might be a little clever for that, don't you think?"

"Well, how else is he gonna go in houses?"

That really took him back to the good old days when his parents were still around. It was his own Christmas Eve with his family. Back then, he was very imaginative. Truth is, he missed being so imaginative. And it made him smile a bit to see this memory come up.

"You do you, kid."

On Tulip's end, her screen showed her as a little girl and her mother by themselves on the grass as part of a mother-daughter bonding trip, spotting constellations with each other as the younger Tulip pointed to one of them with a giggle.

"Mom, look! I can see Orion's belt! And all of his pants."

As Bryce and Tulip watched the video, the latter couldn't get over how cute she was back then. As for Bryce, it reminded him so much of Penny. If Tulip was her age, the two of them would be like two peas in a pod. It's no wonder Penny had gotten along better with Tulip up to this point.

"Aw..."

When Tulip put her finger on the screen, it began to bend like something would poke through dough. Not long after, Tulip was swallowed completely in the screen, making Bryce alarmed.

"TULIP!"

He didn't quite know how that happened, but Bryce was already beginning to fear the worst as the screen went closer to him, showing a memory of when he was confronted by his parents. It was about his failing grade in Math back in Middle School. They knew how to handle the situation, like it's happened before. Even amidst their son's missteps, they always knew just what to say. This case was no different.

"Son, we need to talk about your grade."

"There's nothing to talk about, Mom. I messed up. I thought I knew everything, but I was wrong."

"But... why didn't you just ask for help?"

"You guys were too busy. I didn't want to get in the way."

The younger Bryce felt himself beyond hope of better grades back then, but his father and mother didn't put him down, or even ground him for that, like any other parent would in an effort to discipline them to be better. Instead, they lifted him up with their words. They truly cared about him and showed that they're willing to help.

"Bryce, it's okay not to know everything. But there's nothing wrong with asking for help, either. You could ask us any time."

"Your father is right. If you need help, we'll always be there for you. Remember that, okay?"

Bryce wanted to run, but he couldn't help but be entranced by the sight of his parents. He knew thy weren't around anymore, but still... every part of him wanted to be able to hug them. However, his cautious side seemed to be winning the battle, making him remember what just happened to Tulip. When he looked on the other side, though, he noticed that the screen that swallowed her had the present Tulip along with the younger one in the car as the latter was jamming to her song for road trips with her parents, much to the former's surprise.

"Hey... you're me!"

"Wave your hands in the air!"

"Like you don't care!"

Things were beginning to get stranger and stranger for Bryce.

"That's weird. Since when do we time travel in here?"

To answer his question, Bryce's own screen began to travel to the point in time where he was a young boy again. This time, he was in bed as his mom and dad sang him a bedtime duet, sitting on top of his bed.

_**Bryce's Dad: "If I could begin to be..."**_

_**Bryce's Mom: "Half of what you think of me..."**_

_**Bryce's Mom + Dad: "I could do about anything. I could even learn how to love."**_

He hadn't heard them sing to him in a long time. Their voices were simply precious to him, now more than ever. Why did he refuse them when he grew older?

"Mom... Dad..."

Bryce began to feel guilt overpower him since the knowledge of Tulip's safety had entered his mind. And it pushed him closer and closer to the screen, pressing his hand ever so gently on it before...

* * *

Suddenly, Bryce appeared in what looked to be a family dinner. The whole gang was here. His mother and father were sitting up at the center table with his grandmother on the left side of the table a man with silver hair, a red long-sleeved shirt, and khakis and an elderly woman who had longer, blonde-colored hair with a white sweatshirt and jeans sat on the other side. Meanwhile, the younger Bryce (who was 13 years old at that point and had about as long a hair as a regular haircut and a grey v-neck) was just in between his parents and the bottom of the table had a young woman with raven hair, a green shirt, and red pants as well as a young man with dirty blonde hair in a spiky look, a blue jacket with white stripes near the zipper area at shoulder level, and black pants sitting there. They were all eating dinner together before the elderly man who sat on his father's side of the table had a hilarious joke to tell.

"Okay, how's this for a knee-slapper? One day, the doctor was checking his patient. He said, 'Is there a problem, sir?' The patient told him, 'I sleep like a baby every night.' Now, the doctor was confused and saw no cause for alarm, so he said, 'But it's a good thing.' The patient disagreed with him, saying, 'No, it isn't! I wake up every hour and cry!'"

Indeed it was a knee-slapper as everyone on the table laughed, especially Bryce's Mom as gave him a smile while her laugh died down a bit.

"Always the jokesmith, I see, Grandpa Frank."

While Bryce looked on, he saw the family the happiest they've been. If he could truly name one of his days as the best, it'd be this.

"I remember that. It was when all of us were together. Even Uncle Dan."

Suddenly, the memory began to flash forward to the point when everyone had finished eating dinner and were starting to head to the living room before the spiky haired man spoke up to the younger Bryce.

"Hold on, Bryce. I got something for you."

"Huh? Well, sure, Uncle Dan. What is it?"

As a surprise, Uncle Dan took off his jacket and put it around him. Granted, the younger Bryce was a bit confused as to why his uncle would do such a thing. Little did he know that Uncle Dan had something in mind that seemed to work out as he smiled.

"See that, Sam? Told you it'd fit him like a glove."

"I can see that."

Seeing it laid out in front of him, Bryce began to recall how he got the jacket.

"Hey... I remember that. I used to really want that kind of jacket. But I didn't think Uncle Dan would actually give it up for me."

The younger Bryce's face began to light up in excitement as he looked to his uncle.

"Wait... you really mean it?"

"Yeah, kiddo. It's all yours."

"Aw, yeah! Thanks, Uncle Dan!"

As the younger Bryce high-fived his uncle, Bryce gave a sad smile to him, knowing how much he'd miss him now that he's stuck on this train, let alone a prison of memories before it suddenly became staticky. To his surprise, while he was in the static segment of his memories, Bryce could see Tulip sitting just below her younger self and her parents as they saw dolphins jumping through a hoop while her mother looked to the little girl and saw how happy she was. Although, the footage itself was a little blurred, so he couldn't tell what was happening beyond that. Still, he gave her a smile, knowing that she's had it good in the past.

"Looks like someone's had a good life."

* * *

On Tulip's end, it wasn't as blurred. To her, the memory was plain as day. And it was such a pleasant experience so far.

"Whoa! DolphWorld?! Oh, I used to love this place! I wonder why it closed."

Her mother didn't deign to answer back then, but she did pay attention to her younger self. She was a memory after all.

"Tulip, how about those dolphins?"

"They look so beautiful in their natural state."

Just then, a dolphin jumped up onto what seemed to be like a stack, forming a familiar shape before the Olsens (which Bryce assumed was their last name) cheered it out.

"A pyramid!"

While they celebrated, the present Tulip began to smile a little bit towards them. Why couldn't they be like this all the time?

"Oh, yeah. This day was so much fun."

Just then, the static activated on Tulip's side, letting her take notice of the screen for Bryce's memory far away. She could see blurs of Bryce and another figure with him in what looked like the living room. Tulip began to get a sense of suspicion in that moment as the voices were muffled.

"What's going on over there?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce was now inside the living room. While it once housed a happy occasion like the one he experienced not too long ago, Bryce knew it was also the site of the beginning to the worst day he'd ever know. Bryce hoped it wouldn't be the case in this scenario, but the footsteps of their exit diminished all hope of never having to relive it as he turned around and saw his parents going to the door with Grandma by past Bryce's side as he watched them leave.

"Oh, no. It had to be _that _night..."

His father opened the door, just as his mother was looking to her son. He knew exactly what played out afterward. And that's what he hated about it.

"Your father and I may be gone for a while, but you have to be sure to respect your Grandmother and her rules, Bryce. Can you do that?"

The past Bryce thought there'd be nothing to worry about from them being gone. Naturally, he obliged them with a positive outlook.

"Sure. I can do that."

The present Bryce, however, knew all too well how it ended. And he was not willing to see it happen all over again. Unfortunately, there's nothing he could do but watch as his past self hugged his mother and father before they came out the door and got into a white car while the three of them said their farewells as the car took off.

"See you tomorrow morning!"

"We love you, son!"

"Have fun, mom and dad!"

Bryce felt utterly terrible seeing them drive away like this to their inevitable accident. They'd done everything they could for him. This was meant to be his way of returning the favor for helping him be the man he is. But, instead, he sent them to the hospital, awaiting their inevitable deaths. The very idea sent him in a fit of frustration.

"This was all my fault. Why did I let them go like that?"

Before Bryce could kick at the lamppost, it vanished with the static taking the place of everything else, making Bryce slip from the sudden change and fall to the ground on his rump.

"Okay, ow!"

While Bryce soothed his bosom, he saw another screen with Tulip in front of him. This memory, however, must've been blurrier than the last, because it was practically indecipherable.

"What the heck is that supposed to be?"

* * *

From Tulip's point of view, it was blurry, but it was easily resolved when she put her glasses back on, letting her see the kitchen stove, the cupboards, and the fridge in front of her. This brought good news for Tulip as she automatically knew where she was.

"I'm home. I'm—"

Before Tulip could celebrate, she saw another version of herself, walking down the stairs with a few strands of her hair dangling over her ears while she wore a grey-pink shirt with shorts and red socks, walking to the living room.

"...still in a memory."

Curious about where it'd lead, Tulip followed her past self, seeing her go to the couch before noticing the TV going to a channel called the "Selling N Shopping" channel, which showed Atticus in a suit with an additional Apron before One-One dressed as a woman with Penny next to him as they did a commercial together.

"Are you tired of owning things that _aren't_ donuts, but _could_ be donuts?"

"Every day of my miserable life."

"Mm-Hmm."

"Then buy a donut-holer!"

While watching the informercial continue on, Tulip couldn't help but smile as Penny spoke to Atticus while it showed various items above him that are donut-holed, including a cheeseburger, a speedboat, and a pillow.

"What's a donut-holer?"

"Easy to grip, kid-friendly, and certainly not a scam."

This was enough to convince One-One as Atticus winked with a hearty laugh.

"Ha-ha!"

"Certainly not a scam? Say no more! I'm spending my whole life savings on it!"

Tulip couldn't help but find it a bit entertaining to watch as she made a laugh herself. Then, she took notice of her past self laying the blanket down on the couch. By itself, it made no sense to her. That's when she heard a strange, muffled voice. Strange enough, the past Tulip's mouth didn't move; it was wide open! Suddenly, the static appeared, holding an unknown object underneath it before it flickered quickly back to the past Tulip. She's already beginning to suspect something was wrong as she stood up in a panic.

"What was that?!"

To answer her, the static came back before looking around her to see Bryce's screen again. It was becoming harder to see it clearly, even with her glasses on. The screen in front of her looked as though it was basically blots of multicolored ink. Along with what she went through, Tulip took this as a reason to worry for Bryce.

"What the... what's going on here?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce's next memory would prove to be quite the mind-breaker. He was in the same hospital room as his Grandmother, the nurse (who wore what looked like a small, blue bag over her hair, a light blue long-sleeved shirt, and a white apron above it) and the past Bryce. They were standing over his parents' bodies that were broken from such a traumatic accident. What the nurse had to say about their condition didn't make it any better.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but they've suffered severe concussions to the brain and a bad case of broken ribs altogether."

"So? What does that mean for my parents? Y-You can fix it, right?"

"I'm not so sure. I mean, we could try, but to guarantee full recovery, we'd need the money to fix it."

The past Bryce felt that it wasn't really true. Maybe it was the grief talking, but he knew better.

"Why? Isn't that what doctors are for?"

"Well, yes. But we can't do our jobs if we don't get the supplies from that money."

"Weren't you supposed to have the supplies already? How would they take care of people otherwise?"

"Excuse me, young man. We do everything we can to help these people. You need to take this seriously."

"I am the only one taking this seriously! If you were real doctors, you'd try everything to help them! They wouldn't even care about money!"

As the dispute escalated, the present Bryce could tell something was wrong with this picture as his grandmother tried to calm him down.

"Bryce, calm down. She's the professional around here."

The past Bryce only gave a glare to the nurse. As far as he's concerned, she doesn't know how to do her job at all. True as it seemed to be, Bryce couldn't help but hear a muffled voice from her grandmother, but she didn't appear to be making any movements from her mouth to indicate that she was mumbling. Either she had good practice throwing voices around, or something was out of place. When the static flashed, it showed a different look of her grandmother; instead of an understanding look, it showed a furious, heartbroken variety, scaring Bryce as he exclaimed before he staggered backwards through the open door, which took him to an empty warehouse.

Bryce immediately knew where he ended up. This was where Vic and Vincenzo, the two men who previously aided him in the bank heist, were standing by the side of their boss, a strong man in a tuxedo with silver hair that appeared combed, and a rose on his suit. In his desperation to save his parents, he turned to them for help, but it came at great risk as the big man held his gun to his head as Vic and Vincenzo informed their boss.

"This guy said he needed our help to pay for his folks' medical bills."

"What should we do with him, Don Romero?"

Romero kept a close eye on the boy, seeing his fear in front of him. Bryce knew then what point in time he came in. It was the day when he was left with no alternative, when he had no choice but to go to them for help. The day when he decided to go to the mob.

"Right. That guy again..."

After what seemed to be a moment of a glance from Romero, he spoke curiously to the past Bryce.

"So, Mr. Gideon. You spend time with your family?"

The younger Bryce had no clue what to do in this situation. All he could do was answer, in hopes of appeasing him enough to not get shot in the head.

"Yes. I do."

Romero only gave a glare to the young man. Preparing for the worst, he closed his eyes and waited for the shot, only to hear nothing as the big man put his gun away before holding out his hand to him. This was something the past Bryce didn't expect. All the same, he was grateful that he chose not to pull the trigger as he took his hand before he let it lift himself up and looked to the big man's face as he gave him a satisfied smile.

"Good answer. Nothing is more important than family."

Given how quickly they turned on him in the heat of the moment, Bryce considered that a lie as he gave a scoff.

"Sure. Whatever you say, Romero."

"And that's why we're gonna help you... with our own cash."

At that moment, Romero snapped his fingers before two of his men presented Bryce a case full of money. It had to be worth at least more than how much the expenses cost. It seemed almost too good to be true for Bryce's past self. Maybe it was... Seeing the scene in front of him, Bryce couldn't believe his ears nor his eyes. The experiences he had wasn't anywhere close to this scenario.

"Wait a minute. There's no way it happened like this. It's all a lie!"

In response to Bryce's words, Romero suddenly turned to where the present Bryce was, but he didn't quite look the same. When Romero faced Bryce, he wore a rusted metal visor over his eyes, as well as platinum, clawed gloves on his hands before going straight for him, making Bryce surprised as he backed away to the door, only to fall down before reappearing back on his canvas. It was a safer place than in that screen for certain. But the worst of it wasn't over yet. When Bryce looked down, he saw his legs turning into a static silhouette and going up on his whole body.

"What the heck?!"

Bryce tried to get the static off of him with no success. Soon, the static began to go over his whole hand, covering the number "95" along with it. As Bryce prepared for the worst of it, the static stopped just near his shoulders. As he looked at himself, he had to wonder: were the memories he went through responsible for the static infecting his body? When he looked out from his side of the canvas to Tulip's, pressing himself hard against the invisible wall to try to see into Tulip's screen, finding another blur with a more dominant orange color.

"Tulip, I hope you're having better luck than me."

* * *

In Tulip's memory, she saw herself, her father, and her mother in blue shirts with slogans that said "Family 4Ever". It looked like a more pleasant remembrance than her last memory as her father and mother gave the past Tulip the good news.

"Good news, bud!"

"You got a full scholarship to Vassar, the school for smart people too creative for their own good."

"Oh. That's better."

However, her father had another piece of news that topped What her mother had told her.

"But who cares about school? Step aside, Shigeru! You just became ultra-galactic world president of Game Design!"

Reveling in such a wonderful surprise, the other Tulip hugged her father with joy before her mother presented a pink cake with two onions on the frosting to her.

"Who wants to celebrate with Double-Onion Ice Cream Cake?"

"Me!"

While the family chowed down on the Ice Cream cake, Tulip began to feel a sense of unease from her mother's smile. And that's not the only red flag she saw here. For one thing, her parents weren't as fond of onions as she was. And another thing was that she had no memory of this event in her mind whatsoever. This had to be a trap. That must be why the cat was so eager for them to check out the tapes...

"This isn't right. Something's changing my memories!"

The instant she realized that, her mother turned towards Tulip, but with the face of the monster who attacked Corginia before she stood tall with several of its metallic tentacles sticking out of the sleeves while her father grew a longer neck and the both of them began to swarm Tulip, forcing her to run from the dining room and to the front door as she backed up. When she got to the door, however, her hair and jacket started sticking to it before looking down to see her feet going in static as it began to go up on her legs, earning a panicked response from Tulip as she tried to get herself unstuck before falling to the floor.

* * *

When she got back up, Tulip was back in her empty space as she readjusted her glasses before noticing the static had not gone away. Instead, it was beginning to cover her whole body as it went onto her skirt and jacket. Convinced that something must've gotten on her, Tulip tried to take off the static from her body.

"Get it off, get it off, get it off!"

Alas, her attempts were in vain as the static began to cover even her own number "85" from her eyes. While Tulip glanced to her hand in confusion, she heard Bryce's voice on the other side of the invisible wall behind her.

"Tulip!"

She turned her head around to see Bryce, who'd unfortunately ended up in the same problem as she did.

"Bryce! What the heck is going on with us?!"

"I told you before. The cat was trying to trap us all along. I think it's why we have this static on us."

"Well, how do we get it off us?"

"I don't know. Just let me think..."

While Bryce tried to think of a solution, Tulip found herself in her memories again as she was suddenly at DolphWorld, where her mother spoke with the younger Tulip about the majesty of the dolphins.

"Tulip, how about those dolphins?"

"They look so beautiful in their natural state."

As Tulip watched the dolphin finish the stack while the family was amazed by the stunt, she began to realize that this memory was admittedly far-fetched. How could the dolphins maintain the pyramid stack? Sure, they are mammals and they could breathe air, but that maneuver by itself was a great risk for injuring their tails.

"A pyramid!"

"This isn't how it happened."

The instant she said this, the happy and blissful environment of DolphWorld changed to that of a dismal one. There weren't as many people there as before, with only one person present besides Tulip and her family. Even worse, the water looked more murkier than before, and the dolphin was far from peak condition as it appeared sick. The dolphin handler had trouble trying to convince the people that were there that this was part of the show, only to receive troubling news and speak under her breath.

"Uh, let's hear it for Dolphmu. What do you mean she won't wake up?"

What she didn't know, not that she was meant to, was that the present Tulip had solved the mystery of DolphWorld's expiration.

"Oh. So, that's why they closed DolphWorld."

Right then, the younger Tulip began to develop trouble with her eyesight as she tried to address the issue to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, can-can we move closer?"

Instead of getting the help she needed, this only sparked an argument between the two of them as her mother spoke as if her point was made.

"See? I told you she needed glasses, Andy."

"Well, maybe you should've taken her to the optometrist, Megan."

"When? When am I supposed to do that?"

As they argued, the younger Tulip slumped backward on the bench with a groan before the present Tulip realized what was happening.

"Right. They were fighting."

Just then, Tulip looked at her hand to see the static fade from her body, her number visible on her hand again.

"Why'd the static go down?"

* * *

Meanwhile, on Bryce's side of the invisible wall, he could see Tulip's screen clear as day like he did before when they found each other.

"Hey. I could see everything. Hold on. It wasn't anywhere near happy like that blur from last time..."

When Bryce got to thinking of it, he found himself back in his dining room where he saw Uncle Dan give his 13-Year old self his jacket.

"See that, Sam? Told you it'd fit him like a glove."

"I can see that."

Surveying this memory, the present Bryce had a different feeling about this memory as he thought to himself.

"Uncle Dan couldn't have given me his jacket himself..."

Suddenly, the static changed to show Aunt Sam by herself in the dining room, crying into his jacket. In her sorrow, she didn't notice her nephew Bryce walking over to her before he tapped on her shoulder. She assumed it was one of her older relatives, so she wasn't quite in the mood to talk.

"Just leave me alone, okay?! I don't want to—!"

As Aunt Sam looked up, she instead saw Bryce showing her a look of sympathy, which made her quickly regret shouting at her nephew.

"Oh. Sorry, Bryce. It's not your fault. It's just that—"

"I know. I miss him, too. Uncle Dan was... a really great guy."

Bryce's reply to her gave him a sad smile from Aunt Sam as she then wrapped the jacket around him and took a look at how he looked. In doing so, she noticed her nephew's confused face before she explained.

"Dan always said it'd fit you like a glove. You even look like him. Maybe change the hair a little, though..."

As Aunt Sam sniffled while the younger Bryce hugged her, the present Bryce realized why he had the jacket. It was a way to keep some part of Uncle Dan with him. And it was also a way for Aunt Sam to be able to see her dearly departed husband every day.

"So that's how I have this jacket. Can't believe I forgot that..."

At that moment, Bryce's static on his hand began to go down, letting his number and some of his jacket become revealed to his relief. Though, it made him wonder how Tulip was handling things as he then looked over to Tulip's blurry screen.

"Hey, it worked! But how's Tulip doing?"

* * *

On Tulip's side, she saw Bryce's screen where he hugged his Aunt Sam. Before, she couldn't be able to see his screen as it was blurred. But this time, she could see it so clearly. As much as she wondered why it's so different this time around, she took notice of the younger Tulip walking away from the living room before looking to see the TV during its informercial with Atticus, One-One and Penny involved as the Corgi Salesman spoke to the audience.

"Ha-ha! Donut-holer."

It made her smile before, but she knew that she hadn't met Atticus, One-One, or Penny in Wisconsin. Immediately, she was able to recognize the error in this memory.

"They shouldn't be here."

As if it responded to her words, the static flashed on the TV before showing a bicycle shop with a sign that said "Bikes at $100" while the TV announcer spoke on the commercial before the store owner came in view.

"Harry the Bike Guy! He's woke for the spokes."

Tulip had seen this commercial several times before, so she practically muttered under her breath at the same time Harry said his usual catchphrase.

"It isn't a sham, I am."

At first, Tulip didn't really see the point in this memory of hers, but then she remembered the slight image of a figure underneath the blanket. Tulip's younger self couldn't possibly have put the blanket on the couch for no reason. And she knew there was a voice earlier. With those clues on mind, Tulip remembered what really went down, walking into the living room before she looked to the couch.

"Dad was there."

In accordance with Tulip's words, Andy suddenly appeared as the static allowed him to appear. He seemed to be in a state of disarray as he was crying to himself, trying hard as he could to find the sleep he needed, but alas, there was none to be found. To relieve him of his pain, Tulip's younger self appeared from static before she went over to him and laid a red blanket over him. This was a gesture Andy didn't expect from Tulip with what was happening between him and Megan.

"So, you're tucking me in now, huh?"

Andy showed his gratefulness to Tulip in the form of a hug as the present Tulip looked on before the static came on. With not much else in the staticky realm, Tulip turned to see Bryce's screen, where she noticed him in the hospital with his grandma. She could tell since the static was beginning to wear off of the screen. Judging from what she was told about his parents, Tulip could tell it wasn't any happier on his side of the proverbial fence.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce was witnessing the same event where his other self was beginning to her angry towards the nurse while his grandmother interfered.

"Bryce, calm down. She's the professional around here."

With the change he saw from the static, Bryce felt it was a bit unrealistic on his grandmother's part. After all, it was her own daughter and son-in-law right there. She would've at least shown a little more concern than that.

"I can understand my temper, but I don't remember Grandma being so level-headed."

Just then, the static changed the scene so that the past Bryce was holding back her grandmother from attacking the nurse as she shouted with vicious heartbreak.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF A NURSE?!"

The scene surprised Bryce, though it was exactly the way it happened in his memories. She was so distraught that the fact the hospital needed the money was outrageous. It made sense why she'd be upset over that, but in the past, he never thought she'd flip out like that. In a way, though, Bryce found out where his temper came from.

"Yep. That's the way it happened."

"That's my daughter and son-in-law on that bed! What happened to decent generosity?!"

Being held back long enough, her fury turned into bitter sadness as his grandmother began to cry on his shoulder while the past Bryce comforted her.

"It'll be okay, Grandma Becky."

The nurse could tell that they meant a lot to the son and grandmother, which only made what she had to say even harder.

"I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. With severe injuries like that, it'd be too risky to conduct an operation otherwise."

It made the younger Bryce incredibly sick to the stomach. If he hadn't let his parents go, this tragedy could've been avoided. They'd be all together in the morning just like before. But instead, he let them go to a highway of doom on a chariot of pain and despair. He refused to let it end this way...

"Please, Nurse, isn't there anything we could do?"

"Actually, there is one thing that'll help, but I'm afraid it's not cheap in the long run, either."

"Well, what is it?"

"We have a partial payment plan. It'll let you pay for the expenses weekly."

Hearing this piece of news, Bryce's grandmother became more uplifted since it didn't sound as likely to bleed her money dry.

"Oh, thank you. How much does that cost?"

"With the severity of their injuries, I'm afraid it comes at... $10,000 weekly."

In that moment, Grandma Becky was caught with a kick in the face. She was offered a solution to help heal her daughter and son-in-law, but was instead blindsided by the expense of that plan as well.

"$10,000?! But I don't have that kind of money!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I really am, but that's the least expensive we have to offer about those injuries."

Faced with the situation, the present Bryce's face became more dismal as he hung his head down. This walk down memory lane was far from pleasant for him. The past Bryce, however, didn't see any reason to give up as he spoke up determinedly to the nurse.

"Then I'll take that partial payment plan."

This was something neither the nurse nor Grandma Becky expected as they looked to him before the latter tried to talk him out of it.

"But Bryce, you don't have that kind of money, either."

"Maybe not. But at least, it'll give us some time before we do. Mom and Dad shouldn't have to suffer because they had the night to spend with each other. It's not fair."

The nurse was practically struck by every word from Bryce's mouth. Although, only three of them seemed to have a bigger impact to this context, it was more meaningful to her because of the way he cared about his parents. Still, even the partial payment plan is a steep road for him to take. She had every concern for Bryce in that moment.

"Okay, Bryce. I'll let you take the partial payment plan. But are you sure it's what you want?"

The past Bryce had a look of hesitation come over him for the moment. With the price, even he knew it was steep enough as is. But the look on his parents' unconscious faces reminded him that they needed his support. At least, he felt that way. And it made him more sure of it than anything.

"Yes. More than anything."

The nurse saw no way to talk him out of it from his determined glare. It was clear that nothing would change his mind. Worried as she was, she could tell that he'd do anything for his family. All she could do was smile sadly to him as she spoke.

"Alright. If that's the way you feel, I won't stop you. I'll let you take the partial payment plan."

Grandma Becky knew it wasn't the best idea since they had no way to the right amount of money that quickly at the moment, so she felt a bit concerned with what Bryce had planned.

"Bryce, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am. It's all my fault, anyway..."

When his grandmother heard him mutter this, she couldn't help but feel sad for him. He must be feeling guilty for letting his parents have the night to themselves. The nurse caught onto Becky's saddened look and gave Bryce a look of determination of her own.

"You won't be in this alone. I'll do everything I can for your parents on my end. Hopefully, you wouldn't have to pay more than the first 10,000."

While it lifted some weight off of Bryce, his grandmother still had concerns about the plan for how Bryce would pay. She wanted to go against it, but this could be the closest sign of help she could get to helping her daughter and son-in-law. So, she begrudgingly agreed to it in silence while Bryce felt grateful to the nurse's offer to help her parents.

"Really? Well, thanks, Dr..."

The nurse took note of his confusion and thought of a way to fix that.

"Oh. Hang on. Just so you can tell who I am."

The nurse quickly took the blue bag off of her head to reveal her short, blonde hair. It surprised the present Bryce as he saw a striking resemblance from what he could make out on Tulip's screen before she went inside it. Although, the past Bryce didn't quite see the resemblance then since he didn't meet Tulip before.

"I wouldn't always be wearing this in my shifts. I'm Dr. Olsen."

While Dr. Olsen held her hand out to the past Bryce, he became grateful that someone was on his side when it came to helping his parents as he shook it with a hopeful smile. Meanwhile, Bryce was utterly dumbfounded to realize now who Dr. Olsen really was.

"Wait a minute. Tulip's mom was my doctor?!"

* * *

On Tulip's side of the wall, she was just as flummoxed about the revelation.

"Bryce's doctor was my mom?!"

She would've stayed surprised if she didn't remember what her fake mom said to her. While she was trapped in her worst fear, she was told that she promised to help two people be able to recover. Though, she made no mention who she made that promise to. Realizing who those patients were, Tulip began to wonder about something: was her mom planning to save Bryce's parents before she ran away? Could they have been saved if she didn't?

"I... I had no idea..."

Just then, the static changed before it showed the past Tulip without her green jacket as she wore a white shirt, a grey skort, and black pants as Andy and Megan began to speak to her with a hint of menace in their voices.

"Awful news, Tulip."

"We're getting divorced."

While they said this with a dark smile on their faces, Tulip's whole body, apart from her face began to go in static as flames suddenly went around them while she exclaimed in surprise. Things got even worse as her parents' faces contorted to the shapes of a demon's, though they still looked the same apart from evil grin as they started chanting.

"Divorced! Divorced! Divorced!"

Presented with such an awful news in such a sudden way, the past Tulip began to cry as her tears went down her face, beginning to flood the house with her sadness as she wept while the demons laughed before another laughter came from the shadows, an all-too familiar one... Soon enough, Osore, the Boogeyman who tortured her and her friends in his domain emerged from the shadows as he laughed, the depth of his voice rising with each breath he took before Tulip heard something swoop in by her and saw Ugly Irwin, except he had fiery eyes and it was laughing maniacally before he turned to Tulip.

"Divorced!"

Overwhelmed by the chaos, the present Tulip held her hands on her head, trying to think straight through this.

"No! This isn't what happened, either!"

As sudden as it started, the chaos vanished and was replaced with Andy and Megan sitting at the table, though the flames were still present as the past Tulip went down the stairs before noticing her parents, yet she paid no attention to the flames around them.

"We having dinner here, or are we going out?"

Andy knew it wasn't about dinner as he spoke to her with worry about how she'd take the news before Megan corrected him.

"Neither. We just want to talk to you."

"'Talk _with _you.'"

"She gets it."

The present Tulip didn't like where this was going at all as she backed away slightly to the sliding backyard door.

"This is how it happened."

When the past Tulip sat down at the table, Megan began to explain to her about what would be going on between them.

"Tulip, we want you to know both love you so much. But... things are going to be changing soon."

The past Tulip, however, interpreted the topic in another way. She is in about the beginning of her teen years, so it made sense for her to think it was about that.

"Changing? Uh... is this like a puberty thing? Because if so, I'm fine."

The present Tulip only sighed at how quick she was to think that. Did she not pay any attention to their fighting when she was young? The younger Tulip tried to walk out, expecting her parents to follow her, but Andy knew the topic was too important to just drop, so he tried to call her back, earning Megan's slight reprimand.

"Let's just go get Chinese food and—"

"Come, sit."

"Andy."

Realizing what was happening, Tulip went back to the table and sat down, though she's not quite happy about what it'd be about. While Megan proceeded her explanation, the present Tulip watched the scene as she went around the table, not noticing that her static was going down.

"Yeah?"

"You might've noticed Dad and I have problems, sometimes. Like, arguments, things like that."

When Andy spoke next about their situation, the past Tulip began to clutch onto the napkin in front of her and take her silent anger out on it, much to her parents' concern.

"We tried to fix things, but... your mom and I decided to take some time off from each other. Are you... okay?"

While the past Tulip responded indifferently despite her sour face, her present counterpart could tell she was not happy with it at all.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're not."

"Are you... getting divorced?"

The mother and father looked to each other, already beginning to suspect that she wasn't happy with what would happen. Nonetheless, Megan tried to help her understand the situation more, only to succeed in frustrating Tulip more as she began tearing her napkin apart with one small strip being torn off.

"Well... right now, we're just separating."

"But then you're gonna get divorced after that."

As the memory continued, the present Tulip easily remembered what Andy would say next to her past self before she disproved what he had to say, making Megan try to help her see the truth about how they felt.

"It's not that simple."

"It's not that simple, bud."

"Yeah, it is. You're either married or you're not. What else is there?"

"Tulip, please. We just want you to know that none of this is your fault."

"I know that! Why would it be?!"

There was nothing Tulip could do to change this moment. All she could do was let those memories come to her while she recalled how she must've felt back then while Andy and Megan tried to console her.

"I remember how scared I was..."

"Tulip, I'm so sorry."

"...how mad I was. How alone I felt..."

"Things change, but our love for you won't. We just need you to understand—"

"I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY! Things were fine, but then you decided to change everything!"

The past Tulip then left the table in a huff of anger as she went up the stairs, making Tulip feel even worse than before.

"That's definitely what happened. But remembering it sure doesn't feel any better. I guess... I was the one changing my memories."

Once the static completely went off of her, it went to the floor and covered the whole house, surrounding Tulip everywhere before she noticed Bryce's screen, which showed her the setting of an abandoned warehouse where Don Romero, Vic, and Vincenzo stood over Bryce, his gun trained on him as the young man was being questioned by the mob boss.

"How did you find this place, huh? Care to tell me, wise guy?"

Tulip knew it was a memory, but this situation by itself was still scary to think about.

"Bryce..."

* * *

On Bryce's side of the wall, he was witnessing how the scene really went down as his past self tried to talk.

"I... I just found the address in a piece of paper. That's all I know."

Don Romero didn't seem convinced with the answer as he turned to the associate on his right.

"Vic."

As he nodded, Vic gave Bryce a swift kick in the ribs,along him groan as he clutched to his chest before Vic spoke to the boy with a threatening tone. Nevertheless, Bryce persisted to speak his peace.

"You think we're stupid, kid? Tell us how you really found the place."

"But it's true! It's got Uncle Dan's signature on it!"

The name seemed to be familiar to Romero as his eyes widened with such surprise before he tried to confirm the info.

"Hold on, boys. Dan? You said 'Uncle Dan?'"

Having heard such a name, Romero signaled Vic and Vincenzo to give the past Bryce some space as he got up, recovering from such a hard blow before getting out a thin piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

"Yeah. I found this in the jacket when I got it. Said it's for a rainy day."

While Bryce handed Romero the paper, he unfolded it and saw the coordinates to this very location, as well as a small sentence beneath it which said, "Save it for a rainy day." It was an unexpected turn of events, as far as the Don was concerned. He started to get cautious around Bryce as he glanced at him with suspicion.

"Why are you here, kid?"

"The truth is... I need help. My parents got into a horrible accident. And I need the money to help pay for the bills."

Vic and Vincenzo weren't so easily convinced as they held their tommy guns to Bryce.

"Nice try."

"But we ain't buying what you're selling. We don't do clichés."

The Don, however, had other plans as he raised his hand to his men.

"At ease, boys."

This was an order that the two men didn't expect from Romero revolving around intruders. Yet, they lowered their weapons, patiently waiting for him to say otherwise as Romero curiously engaged a conversation with him.

"How much you looking for?"

"About $10,000 per week."

Romero didn't sound too surprised as he tossed the paper he held to the floor.

"Huh. That's a steep road, kid. Before we go any further... why would you do something that stupid if you can't pay for it yourself?"

Bryce was beginning to get upset at how Don Romero described his action to help his parents before realizing his position. If he do much as tried to attack, he'd end up full of holes. And that would've been a waste of effort to help his parents recover. So, he took a deep breath, and exhaled before he replied with conviction.

"They're my family. They gave up everything to give me the best life they could. I want to repay them."

This got Romero's interests piqued as he put his hand on his chin while walking to Bryce, who expected him to shoot him at point blank range at the time before the Don only extended his hand, confusing Bryce as he looked at it. For confirmation that it wasn't a trick, Bryce looked up to see Don Romero's welcoming grin.

"Good answer. You passed the interview."

"The interview?"

"You need one before you get a job, don't ya? And you passed."

The general situation stunted the past Bryce. He didn't think it would go over that easy. But apparently, he learned to speak his language, and just in time, too. However, he's still confused about what would go down from here on out."

"Passed? W-what does that mean?"

"It means... welcome to the family. But don't get too comfortable. We need to make sure you're on the level. That's where the orientation comes in."

As the present Bryce looked on, he recalled what he had to do in his time working with the mob on his "orientation". He was forced to watch himself respond to various tests, which included how to conceal his weapon and bypass security. Another part of it was to be able to gun down his enemies if it came down to it (which was exactly what took place before he got on the train). And in exchange, Bryce would be paid about $2,000 (about $250 per hour from 9 to 5) for his hard work. Looking back on them, Bryce couldn't get over how willing he was to do those tests. It was like watching himself become a monster... Worse yet, his Uncle Dan seemed to have led him right to them as he looked back to the paper on the floor that Romero tossed earlier.

"Why did you lead me to them, Uncle Dan. What aren't you telling me?"

Just then, the memory flashed forward to when Bryce was confronted by Romero in the warehouse as the latter spoke with a voice that sounded as though something made his day bad.

"What did I tell you about taking too long to show up?"

"Oh, boy. Here we go."

Bryce already knew what point that was. It had already been five whole days since he found them, and unease had already settled in. With the money he'd collected that week, he had enough to make the first payment to the hospital. In fact, he would've paid it if Romero didn't call for him so soon. The past Bryce was a little angry about that.

"Well, excuse me for trying to find a detour in rush hour."

Don Romero caught his tone and did not like the sound of it at all.

"What's that? You talking back to me?"

Not willing to accept the disrespect Bryce apparently gave him, Romero took the money from his hand. It's already got Bryce on edge with how hard he's worked to get it, and it could only get worse from there.

"Hey! I worked very hard to get that money! I need it to—!"

"You _are _talking back! You think you're better than me, huh? With your cash, with your dreams?"

To Bryce's worry, Don Romero began tearing his payment apart one bill at a time, and along with it, any hope of being able to pay the bill.

"No, stop! Please!"

Bryce tried to stop Romero, but he only kicked him to the floor before tearing up the rest of his share. The present Bryce couldn't help but glare at Romero for what he did.

"See? You're no better than me. Anything you have, I can take away. Now, be on time like you're supposed to. Be prompt for once."

As the Don walked away, the past Bryce only growled at Romero as he stood up. He had worked too hard to get the money to help his parents. Seeing it all torn up in front of him made him feel betrayed. For a time during the weekdays, he felt as though he was looking out for his interests. But that day made him realize what kind of scum he truly was. Why would Uncle Dan work with those slime bags?

"Is that what you told Uncle Dan?!"

Hearing the persistent venom in Bryce's voice, Romero stopped walking away. From there, he felt the irritation bubbling up in him as Romero tried to let it out with a deep breath and a heavy exhale before he tried to explain how things worked in his view.

"Listen, kid. It's like this. You ever hear all that fancy stuff about America? 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,' 'all men are created equal,' all that stuff? All of that... is useless. These days, this country is run by one principle: survival of the fittest. You either take or you get taken, plain and simple. You know how I got ahead in this world, huh? Two words: 'money' and 'power.' Strength is the _only_ thing this world understands."

The present Bryce tensed his hand from hearing this point of view. Strength can't be the only necessity the world needed. It certainly wasn't what his parents taught him. The past Bryce knew that then, too, as he tried to protest.

"So because of that, you left Uncle Dan to die? That's not fair!"

In response, Romero made a mocking tone to Bryce towards his words before venting his frustrations again.

"'That's not fair.' Life gives to the powerful, not those who whine about what's fair. The only reason I took you in was because I'd hoped you'd be better than that softball Uncle Dan. But it looks like the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, after all."

As the past Bryce tensed in anger, the present Bryce began to recall how he'd felt since then.

"He said strength is the only thing that matters. But he didn't even consider how that affected the rest of us..."

"Do you have any idea what you did to his family?! His wife is a widow because of you! And his kids never got to know their father!"

"That wasn't on me, kid. You're uncle had the chance to be stronger. It's not my fault he didn't take it."

This was the last straw for Bryce. Unable to take any more of it, he rushed at the Don, determined to beat the living daylights out of him as he yelled out with pure apoplexy. However, the Don was ready for that as he pulled out his gun and stopped him from rushing at him, forcing him to a standstill. Having the upper hand, Romero corralled him to the exit of the warehouse, making him back up as he spoke with a vindictive tone while the present Bryce followed, not knowing that the static was going down from his waist.

"I told you. Anything you have, I can take away. And that includes your life, and your folks'. I suggest you remember that. Because what's happening tomorrow night is no little thing. And I can't promise that anyone backing out remains healthy. So if you want your paycheck for your folks, you're going to keep your mouth shut about my business, do as I tell you, and take it like a man. Capiche?"

Once he was past the exit, Romero shut the door on the past Bryce, leaving him outside as the feeling of powerlessness overtook him. He worked very hard to find a solution to help his parents, only to find the alleged killer of his uncle. Worse yet, only he had the means to help his parents. It was a true power play if he ever saw one. As the past Bryce thrusted his fist at the door and punched it in flustered anger, the present Bryce seemed to recognize each and every moment of that feeling in detail.

"That's the first time I ever felt powerless. I wanted to help my parents and get back to a normal life, but I couldn't even get that back. I felt so weak, so afraid. Maybe the one changing memories around here... is me."

As Bryce came to that conclusion, the static that once infected him began to infect the scene, turning it all to black-and-white snow patterns before noticing Tulip far away. From what he could tell at his distance, he saw a sympathetic look from her. Was she watching him this whole time?

"Oh, boy..."

To know for sure, he walked over to the invisible wall and inquired her what she knew.

"Uh, Tulip? How much of those memories did you see?"

"I saw all of them."

"Oh. I'm sorry you had to see any of that."

Instead of blowing up at him, like she did when she found out what he'd done, Tulip only turned and sat down before she replied.

"It's okay. You probably saw my memories, too, right?"

Hearing the sadness in her own voice, Bryce wasn't sure how to answer, but he found it best to be honest after the fiasco that came after the Jungle Car.

"Yeah."

For a moment, the two of them were sitting back-to-back in silence. Then, Bryce thought of the most surprising thing on his end.

"So... did you know that my doctor was..."

"My mom? Yeah. I saw that, too. Chicago and Wisconsin aren't as far away as you think. They're practically next door."

"Huh. How about that?"

"Yeah..."

Bryce then began to look at his number. They were able to remember everything that happened to them, but was it even worth it to go back home? Bryce didn't seem to think so, considering Romero's threat as he turned to Tulip and spoke.

"Tulip... I'm not so sure I want to go back home anymore."

This was something Tulip never expected to hear from Bryce's mouth. Why would he just give up on going home after everything they've been through? Then, she remembered what Bryce told him back at the Boogeyman's car.

"_How long have we been on this train, really? Even if we do get back home, even if they weren't my real parents, the ones back home? They'd still be dead."_

Right. He must think there's no point anymore. But if Tulip knew her mom, she'd know how committed as a doctor she is to her patients. And that'd go double for his parents.

"Bryce, my mom can help your parents. She wouldn't give up on—"

"It's not about that, Tulip. Not anymore."

"Is it about the mob?"

"You heard what Romero said. Anything I have, he can take away. If he even sees my face, he'll go after my family. Then... what would've been the point?"

"That's it? You're just gonna give up?"

"Who cares? They're better off without me, anyway."

As much as it saddened Tulip to hear Bryce say such things, she felt the same about herself. Even when they got divorced, her parents still loved her and tried to do everything to make up for that. But all they got in return was her spite and blame. No parent should have to go through that, least of all hers. Maybe she _was_ a parasite...

"I don't blame you for feeling that way. My parents are better off without me, too."

This surprised Bryce most of all. The whole time, she worked the hardest she could to go back to Wisconsin. It just wasn't like her to feel that way. Considering what he saw on her memories, though, Bryce would be surprised if she didn't.

"I know they told me it's not my fault, Bryce, but it is. I _know_ it is. I should've took into account what they wanted, but I didn't. I never let them have any time for themselves. And when I did, they'd be fighting. They don't deserve a brat like me..."

Tulip began to sniffle with heartache as Bryce looked at her. If he were the same Bryce that snapped his temper at her in the Beach Car, he'd agree. But he got to know her better up to this point. And with all that he'd seen, he knew she was not a bad person.

"Tulip, that's just not true."

"Yeah, it is. You said it yourself..."

"Well, I was wrong. When your father was sad, who was there to tuck him in?"

A sniffle came from Tulip before she tried to answer in spite of her sad tone.

"I was."

"That's right. And when we were climbing up that slope to get to that cave, who was there to catch my little sister?"

"I... I was."

"Exactly. With all that _you _did for us, and for me, how can you call yourself a brat?"

"But... my parents—"

"Still love you. And they always will, no matter what you did. Because you're a smart, caring, loyal, and helpful person. And... I love you for that."

Listening to the words Bryce had to say, Tulip's eyes began to water from such a heartwarming profession. It was one thing to hear that her parents loved him, which was a comfort, but to hear how he felt despite how she'd been... the feeling of it was like being with her family all over again. Yet, Tulip also recognized the same situation from that one romantic movie she saw as she made a light chuckle at this.

"That sounds... a little cheesy."

"Maybe. But it wouldn't make it any less true."

Taking all of his words to heart, Tulip rubbed her eyes to get the tears away from her before she smiled to him and thought of a way to help him feel the same.

"Thanks, Bryce. It means a lot for you to say that, especially after what I put you through. But... can I ask you this one favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you... go home with me?"

That was something that gave Bryce a lot to think about. If he came back home, it'd be a matter of time before the mob finds out he alive and they'd go after his family. Why would Tulip want to risk that?

"But, Tulip. I told you—"

"Please, just hear me out. I know how you feel about going back home, but we made it this far together. Besides, don't you think Penny deserved to go see her real home after what she went through?"

That's right. Penny is obligated to go to her home after being adopted. And her Home would be where his was. Failing to take her home would mark a failure as a big brother. That was something he didn't want to risk. Tulip seemed to know him too well... Nonetheless, he had to admit it was pretty smart of her to bring that up. So, he agreed to Tulip's terms as he nodded to her while placing his hand on his screen.

"Okay, you got me. I'll go with you."

"That's all I needed to hear."

As Tulip placed her hand on her screen where Bryce's was, the wall began to shrink, much to their surprise and confusion before their hands began to hold together, their fingers clutching tightly before the two of them were suddenly lurched towards a vortex of memories. At the center of it was a static screen. As they looked upon it, Bryce and Tulip's eyes began to go just as staticky as they drew closer to the screen.

* * *

The next thing they knew, Bryce and Tulip were back on their chairs, but the group acted as if nothing happened since Atticus was still talking.

"—watch those tapes without thoroughly sniffing them first."

Bryce and Tulip began to have a headache from their time inside heir own tapes, just as the cat began to show concern while Penny checked with her older brother and her friend.

"Guys, are you okay?"

While they recovered from the brief migraine, Tulip and Bryce both noticed their hands were being held together like before. It earned a mild blush between the two of them as they pulled their hands away before they all looked to the car in anger as Bryce replied.

"Yeah. We're fine, Penny. But the cat, on the other hand..."

The jig was up. The cat was found out, but despite it, she tried to act as if it was all natural, only to earn Tulip's vicious reply.

"Why, look at that! Awake already."

"You tried to trap us?!"

"Can one really be trapped when reliving such happy memories? Perhaps you ought to sit down again, give them a closer look?"

Bryce and Tulip only got their backpacks from the chairs before headed for the exit as the latter spoke, making the cat try to convince them to stay.

"We saw everything we needed to see."

"Let's not too hasty, my petulant perennial. What about your numbers?"

Tulip then looked to see her number while Bryce did the same for his before they clenched their hands, blocking them from sight.

"I don't care."

"Me neither. For some reason, I don't feel like I need to anymore."

After Tulip got her glove out from her pocket and put it over her hand, she got out another glove for Bryce to cover his number while the cat was persistent in changing their minds.

"But they're going down. The train must think you're doing well."

"Oh, wow. So it's a good thing our numbers are going down? We're growing as people? Thanks, train. So glad an inanimate object likes us! No more numbers, no more mystery."

With Bryce and Tulip walking away from the cat, she was forced to speak her peace one last time.

"But the tapes! Beneath the veil of happy memories, you'll find the answers!"

Bryce was getting way past angry at the cat with every word that came out of her mouth as he grabbed her coat and instantly spat his venom at her relentlessly.

"Are you kidding me?! _My_ memories were anything_ but _happy, even if they didn't try to trap us, and there wasn't _anything_ to help us! I spent the whole time on this train trying to forget how much of a failure I am, but then _you_ had to show up and remind me, you dirty fleabag!"

With a grunt, Bryce chucked the cat at the shelf close to them, slamming her to the books before landing on her feet, making Penny scared out of her mind, even Atticus as he gasped harshly.

"Stop! Leave the kitty alone!"

"Are you serious, Penny?! After what she did?! She needs to pay!"

When Bryce tried to stomp over to the cat to inflict more pain on her, Tulip grabbed his hand and stopped him from going any closer to the cat. It was a surprise to know that Tulip had any semblance of mercy towards the cat after what they went through. But she knew that this was beyond cruel, even to the cat.

"Stop, Bryce. She's not worth the effort."

Seeing Tulip's point, Bryce glared back at the cat with restrained malice before looking to see Penny's petrified face. This must be what Tulip meant. Even if he does get rid of her, even if she deserved that, he'd only end up being seen as a monster in front of Penny. He tried as hard as he could to hold that temper in for her sake as he spoke coldly to the frightened feline.

"Okay. I'll let you go. But if I ever see you anywhere near us again, I'll make you lose the rest of your nine lives. I mean that."

As Bryce and Tulip walked away, the cat could only watch as they opened the exit door and go out while Atticus held a frown, sticking his head up away from her in shame as One-One and Penny walked by, though the latter showed her more pity than the others as Sad-One made his feelings blunt.

"We don't like you."

"Why can't you be a good kitty?"

With that, the entirety of the group finally left the train, the door closing behind them. With her opportunity long gone, the cat was scared out of her mind.

"How?!"

In her panic, the cat went up to the ladder and picked up another tape that laid on the shelf before putting it in her coat. Suddenly, just as she did so, the car began to jolt, knocking her off of the ladder and to the floor. Outside, the car moved up, the space quickly being filled by the car behind it as it linked with the car in front of it while the extra sped towards the end of the train while the cat was forced to hold onto her lamp to keep from being flung to the back of her car. When it came to a stop, the lamp tipped over and launched her while also putting out its own light, trapping her in the dark as she became fearful of what would come next, or much rather who.

Suddenly, out of the darkness came metallic tentacles that stamped themselves the cat, breaking the floor around her, causing her to look up ahead to see a familiar cloaked figure with a mask, though it was chipped from when Tulip chucked One-One at her.

"N-Night Shroud..."

"It took you long enough."

Then, the face of the monster that attacked Corginia came next just behind Night Shroud as it loomed over the cat.

"Where are the passengers?"

"Um... they aren't exactly here at present. And they may have taken the balk with them."

Evidently, it was the wrong answer as Night Shroud snapped while the monster's eyes flared blue flames, enveloping her shadow upon the cat.

"What?!"

"The tape! It should've trapped them!"

"Then why don't I see them in here?!"

"Please, let's not be too rash. I don't know how they managed to get out of the tape!"

There was a long silence between them. As it unnerved the cat, Night Shroud broke the silence.

"Bryce was right about one thing. You don't deserve your nine lives."

Night Shroud then made a signal with her mask, to which the monster responded as it wrapped its coils around her waist, threatening to crush the cat as she pleaded.

"Mercy! Please! You know, I'm the only one who can help you... find them!"

"Don't be so sure. I had Osore tag the girl some time ago. They're under constant surveillance. And that means we won't need you anymore. Kill her!"

At her command, the monster began to squeeze the life out of the cat, earning a pained yowl from her as Night Shroud scowled with her teeth shown from where her mask was chipped before another electronic voice chimed in behind her.

"Enough!"

In response, the monster ceased its attack and turned to the shadows, making the cat and Night Shroud look to the darkness as well, seeing a lone red line in the dark before it spoke with irritation in its oscillated voice, the line moving along with it.

"You will leave the cat be."

Night Shroud clearly wasn't happy with what the voice had to say as she countered.

"But why? We already know how to find them. Why should we keep her around?!"

"You would do well to control your temper. Besides, the little girl seemed quite fond of her. For that purpose, I have... another use for her."

The red line in the shadows then made its own signal to release the cat, causing the monster to release it and drop her on her feet. This made the cat grateful that she wasn't crushed to oblivion as she spoke in a fearful tone as Night Shroud scowled under her broken mask again. She wanted to be sure that she got some payback for waiting this long just for her to fail.

"Thank you! I will not disappoint."

"Fine. We'll leave you be. For now. But your failure can't go unpunished."

Just then, Night Shroud made a signal, which the monster received before it clamped its pincers on the shelves as it spoke.

"Do not fail again."

With that, the monster began to spin rapidly, shattering the items the cat had collected during her time in this train, making her scared beyond all reason.

"No...! No! My-my things!"

The look of fear on the cat's face was satisfactory to Night Shroud as she made a smirk while she backed away alongside the red line in the shadows...

"Consider this your final warning."

**A/N: And this was the beginning of Act Two. I hope you all liked it. :) Also there are a few guests in Bryce's memories that deserve a curtain call in the list below. That way, it won't be so cluttered below.**

**Wallace Shawn - Grandpa Frank**

**Nicole Sullivan - Aunt Sam**

**Roger Craig Smith - Uncle Dan**

**Merryl Streep - Grandma Becky**

**Jeremy Shada - Bryce (13 years old)**

**Charlie Adler - Don Romero**

**Beyond that, the cat doesn't look like she'll catch a break from the Conductor or Night Shroud. What do you suppose will happen to her before things all go to heck in The Ball Pit Car? Only I know so far, but I'd like to hear out what you believe...**


	10. The Unfinished Car

**A/N: And here it is, the next chapter of Act Two. :) Oh, and just so you know, there'll be a special surprise at the end of this episode, so keep your eyes open. :)**

**Chapter IX: **The Unfinished Car

Almost a week had gone by since Tulip and Bryce escaped the cat's trap. By going inside their tapes, they'd relived through every terrible piece of their memories. They had no choice, really. To try to picture them any differently than how they happened would mean to lose yourself in a past that never happened. But it wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Through looking in each other's memories, Tulip and Bryce made a first step to try to get together despite their falling out after the Jungle Car. While they distrusted the cat even more as a result, their trust in each other was building back up ever so slightly. Along the way, their feelings for each other began to grow as well, though neither one of them was inclined to speak further on them yet. To know that they cared about each other was enough for them, at least for now. But that didn't mean the course of their relationship would be smooth sailing.

The two of them came out of the spa car alongside One-One (who had cucumber slices on where his eyes are), Atticus (whose fur got puffed up from the humidity), and Penny (who had her hair frizzy as it was practically an afro) as Tulip had a white towel around her neck as Bryce had it on his left shoulder. The former was giving a content sigh as she'd found an exit out of that car, relaxing as it was, much to Sad One's disappointment.

"Ahh. I think it's safe to say we took care of that Spa Car. Sorry we had to bail on that salt scrub, but if we want to get anywhere, we better get moving."

"I'll never get my youthful glow back..."

While the cucumber slices fell off of One-One, Bryce checked up with Penny and Atticus, considering their hairy situation.

"Well, how about you guys? You doing okay?"

Penny gave a chuckle to her older brother as she played with her hair.

"My hair's so crazy."

"I can tell. Let me fix that up real quick."

Bryce then used his hand to ruffle her hair back to normal while Atticus shook himself to get the bath water off of him, turning his fur back to normal as he voiced his opinion on this car.

"I think your people may have a different definition of relaxation. They didn't even give us kerchiefs when we were finished."

Then, Penny had something to ask to Bryce that proved a bit sensitive.

"So, when are you going to tell her?"

Instantly, Bryce's face turned beet red, afraid of what she meant by it before he replied to her with an inquiry.

"Uh... hopefully never."

"Why?"

"Because I don't feel comfortable telling her that, Penny."

Unfortunately, Tulip overheard their conversation as she joined in.

"Telling me what?"

Penny, being as young as she is, didn't see any harm in telling her what seemed to be something embarrassing for Bryce to speak of.

"When you were done with your massage, Bryce saw you na—"

Before Penny could finish, Bryce covered his little sister's mouth in his desperation but it was too late. Tulip began to blush herself, realizing what she was talking about.

"Penny...!"

"What? You... you saw me naked?"

Seeing no way out of it, Bryce tried to come clean about this embarrassing event as he spoke sheepishly before Penny removed his hand from her mouth and interrupted.

"I didn't mean to..."

"It's true. His face turned so red and he tried to cover his eyes. But he kept hitting the wall."

When Penny exposed the mishap to Tulip, Bryce's blush got even worse as he spoke awkwardly.

"Penny, you're embarrassing me... I'm really sorry, Tulip."

Tulip then began to recall what those noises were behind her. While she was getting the towel off after her massage, she did remember hearing bumps behind her. To know it came from him, it actually explained a lot. Tulip then began to get just as embarrassed as he was with her blush turning redder by the second as she spoke timidly to him.

"Oh, nah! I-It's fine, really. I mean, it's... it's not like you meant to see me naked... did you?"

"Oh, n-no! T-That was, uh, a total accident. It's all it was."

"Then it's okay."

After a short silence, Bryce began to mutter to himself about the way she looked as he spoke with a small smile.

"You still look beautiful, though."

Tulip seemed to have heard that as she looked to Bryce with confusion, forcing him to quickly speak up.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! Let's not stress ourselves out about it and move on to the next car, shall we?"

As Bryce tried to move on, taking Penny in tow with him, Tulip gave a small smile back to him. In truth, he didn't realize she'd heard every word he said under his breath. It may have been an accident for him to see her au naturel, but at least he let her know how beautiful she was. He may have thought it offended her, or that she didn't hear it, but it was strangely comforting of him to say so about her body as she spoke softly.

"Yeah, sure..."

While looking down to her chest with a blush, she started to become curious about what her number is me that she'd gone through a whole week without it. Prior to this, Tulip and Bryce had decided since freeing themselves from the Cat's prison not to bother themselves with their number. It was the main reason they ended up trapped, after all. But the temptation to resist was becoming a bit stronger for Tulip. Nonetheless, she triumphed over it as she snapped herself out of it with a sigh.

"Bryce is right. We're not going to stress ourselves out; we're going to stay positive, and we're gonna take this one car at a time."

As the group pressed on, One-One followed them with a dance on two of his stubs.

"When you scrub up, you lift your heart up! You gotta be clean, clean, clean!"

* * *

The moment they entered the next car, Tulip, Bryce, One-One, Atticus, and Penny looked out of the horizon and saw a lush, green field of grass with a town nearby, as well as what looks like a university building as Bryce pondered the appearance. For whatever reason, it gave him a sense of déjà vu, and it's safe to say that he wasn't the only one as he spoke to Penny, who looked at the scenery with a longing expression he'd never seen from her before.

"Uh, is it just me, or does it feel familiar to anyone else?"

"Yeah. It does..."

Just then, Penny's shadow started to bear a wicked smile, much to Bryce's confusion.

"Huh?"

As Bryce rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't seeing things, Penny turned to One-One behind her as she spoke to him, causing the shadow to revert to the way it's supposed to be. By the time Bryce looked again, it was back to normal, though he couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that he saw.

"Come on, One-One! Don't be a slowpoke!"

"Huh? Hmm..."

While the group continued to travel deeper inside the car, One-One was beginning to notice the bizarre structure of this particular car.

"But when the clean is... clean..."

One-One couldn't help but become somewhat entranced by the appearance of the buildings being out of place. For one thing, a roof of a house was planted on top of another house with the tiles going through the ceiling. On top of that, a building was just floating in the air, and there are a set of stairs that seemingly led nowhere. One-One only blinked his eyes, feeling quite unsettled by the way things looked as he tried to catch up to the others. When he did, Tulip and Bryce felt it best to identify the possible threats in this car.

"First things first, let's check for danger. No spikes, mummies, emotional manipulation?"

"And no sign of Night Shroud or the Boogeyman either. Honestly, if we never see them again, it'll be too soooon!"

Suddenly, Bryce and Tulip were lifted off their feet. The next thing they knew, the two of them ended up sitting on an upside-down staircase, much to Tulip's surprise while Bryce noticed Penny and Atticus on a floor of a sideways house with the interior exposed but the roof of the house remained the same on top of it and pointed it out to her.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Neat! Gravity car?"

"It sure looks that way."

"Hi, Bryce! Hi, Tulip!"

"My goodness. I've always suspected stairs can't be trusted."

Then, Penny turned to One-One and spoke to him in elation.

"Isn't it cool, One-One?! One-One?"

Bryce and Tulip turned to One-One, seeing him look left and right to all the buildings of the car. Little did they know that as the two of them got back on the ground walking "upward" to it while Atticus and Penny walked towards it like it was a wall, One-One's eyes were blinking green, blue, and red on both of his eyes on a random order before they went back to normal just when the group caught up to him with Tulip speaking before Bryce and Penny.

"One-One, you okay?"

"You seem... a little out of it."

"Is something wrong?"

To answer, his glad side spoke in a fit of worry before his sad side gave away why he felt this way.

"Oh! Uh, I... I... It's broken."

"_I _broke it."

This was something neither of them expected to hear as Penny tried to find out what it meant.

"What do you mean?"

Just then, they heard a trumpet from far away with Atticus taking notice of three locals approaching them, though they were silhouettes at the time.

"I think the inhabitants found us. But did they send ambassadors or warriors?"

The three silhouettes came into view, revealing them to be anthropomorphic turtles, with two of them standing on their feet and carrying sparks as staves whilst the middle wore a crown on his hand and glasses and is on all four of his legs. The Crown was enough for Atticus to know who he was as he made a smile.

"Royalty!"

In the meantime, Tulip was stumped about what their presence meant as she discussed it with Bryce.

"Gravity turtle car?"

"I think it's best not to overthink it."

When the guards and their king reached the company, one of them spoke to them with authority.

"Announcing his supreme excellency! Please, extend your necks in adoration."

While the guards did so, Tulip and Bryce did so in confusion over what was going on before Atticus and Penny did so eagerly with the latter giggling, Though One-One was embarrassed to find he had no neck to extend before the king spoke up to them.

"I am Aloysius III, Emperor and Unifier of the hard and soft-shelled."

Tulip seemed to think it was narrowed down to the first thing that popped up as she inquired Aloysius of what he meant.

"Tacos?"

"Turtles."

Atticus didn't find it to be so respectable as he mildly scolded her before Aloysius got to the matter of their identities.

"Come now, Tulip. Ahh!"

"So, who will be announcing who?"

Tulip then proceeded with the introductions as Bryce noticed she caught on to the déjà vu herself.

"Oh. Uh, I'm Tulip, and this is Bryce, and Penny. I feel like I've done this before..."

"I know, right?"

"Anyway, we're just looking for the exit."

Atticus, on the other hand, had other plans as he introduced himself to Aloysius.

"Let's not be hasty. I don't often get to see other royalty. I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. You'll pardon my lack of fanfare, but I am on a crusade for justice that requires a bit of discretion."

"Naturally. We can show you to the other door, but pray tell, who is your little friend dismantling our turtle-totter?"

The group spun around behind them to see One-One working on the turtle-totter as Tulip and Penny walked up to him and tried to find out what he was doing, especially when the latter dealt with a bit of his craziness in the Crystal Car before.

"One-One, what are you doing?"

"Did you get crazy again?"

"It was going 'tchk-tchk'. But it should be going 'whoop-whoop'. It shouldn't take too long."

Although Penny was fine with it, Tulip didn't feel it was necessary as she spoke to him about the people this car had to offer.

"Oh. Okay."

"Aw, I'm sure they have someone who can fix it. Some kind of licensed technician. Er, turtle? Turt-nician? Anyway, come on. We gotta go."

Tulip then scooped One-One with her hands and into her arms, only to earn a moan from his sad side as they walked away. Despite this, Penny tried to cheer him up as she walked beside him and Tulip.

"It's okay, One-One. Maybe you can play with me while they fix it."

"Yeah. I guess..."

As Sad One sighed dejectedly, Tulip felt a bit sorry for One-One as she gave him a sympathetic look.

* * *

Later, the group was taken into the center of their town as they saw a turtle sitting in a bathtub that's on a wall, allowing him to look up to the sky. Along with that, they also saw a building with a lamppost on a side of the roof while Atticus spoke to Aloysius.

"We Corginians pride ourselves on our masonry. I'd like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them."

Bryce and Tulip then began to look in front of them and saw half of a college entrance bridge with a stone cap on top of it with a school building just in front of them. A truly bizarre thing to see, if it wasn't bizarre enough already as Tulip tried to add this description to make out what this car was.

"Gravity turtle... college car?"

"Let's just call it the turtle car."

In the meantime, Aloysius conversed with Atticus about the way his kingdom functions, coming across a lake of jelly in the middle of the street as several turtles were sliding on it as in the middle of it, a crossing guard was posted to let them know which one can go.

"Structures can be impressive, but our culture is measured by its cuisine. Our all-natural jam pond is both delicious and great for traveling quickly."

"Intriguing."

While inside Tulip's arms One-One was looking left and right, seeing what he considered imperfections to this car. No... mistakes. All around him was a constant reminder of what he'd apparently broken. And it was getting to him as Penny spoke up to him before Tulip.

"One-One, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen you this spooked since that car with the Boogeyman."

The instant she mentioned him, Bryce had an unpleasant memory in his head, hearing his crooked laughter as he disappeared in the shadows. It was enough to make him tense his fist, much to Tulip's worry as he spoke to her.

"Can we please not talk about him right now?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, no. It's okay. It's not your fault. Let's just move on and be positive from here on out."

One-One only responded by pointing out one flaw he immediately saw in front of him, a house with no wall that exposed a turtle reading a newspaper on a table with his glad voice, much to Penny's confusion.

"Look at that house. There's no wall at all."

"What's wrong with that?"

"These houses are supposed to have walls. _Anyone_ can just walk in!"

"Oh my gosh, I can see their saucepans!"

Much as it bothered One-One, Tulip and Bryce didn't see how it's anything to worry about as they reminded him of their past journey in one of the previous cars during the week.

"We've ridden a french toast ferry boat across a maple syrup river. This is relatively normal."

"Well, normal as it can be. But Tulip's right. It's nothing to worry about."

"But those weren't broken."

Hearing One-One say this, Bryce became curious. What did he mean by broken? Was the Boogeyman responsible for this car's condition somehow? Maybe that's why he's acting all skittish. He must be having a bad feeling about this whole car.

"Broken? What do you mean?"

Before One-One could answer, Aloysius pointed out the exit door they needed, which laid just in front of them.

"I believe this is the door you're looking for."

Up ahead, the hole was supposed to have a door, but instead, there was a yellow and black tape wrapped around the pillars in front of it. And behind it was a mysterious green panel that looked similar to a panel that was opened up by the Steward. Though, Tulip was focused on getting out of the car at the moment.

"Cool. Well, uh, your highness, thank you so much for taking us here. We wish you the best, and—"

Suddenly, One-One jumped out of Tulip's arms, much to her surprise as she shouted to him.

"Hey! One-One!"

One-One blocked out her voice and scurried over to a pile of bricks and started stacking them together, much to Penny's curiosity and Tulip's frustration as the former went over to One-One while the latter tried to convince him to stop.

"What are you making?"

"Come back, you two! We gotta go!"

Things got more complicated when Atticus spoke up about his own situation.

"Actually, Aloysius and I were in the middle of some fascinating discussions. How do you keep your crown balanced on your head?"

"Bobby pins, mostly."

"Hmm. Knowing we have a potential ally here, perhaps we can take our time?"

While Tulip objected to it initially, Bryce began to feel something ominous is afoot as he noticed a grinning dark shadow on a wall near Penny before it went away into her shadow. Immediately, it waved a red flag for him as it reminded him of what he saw when they first got in the car. Afraid of what it meant, he looked back to Tulip and the others.

"We already spent a lot of time in that Spa Car. W-We need to get—"

Atticus only tilted his head to the side, causing Tulip to point at him and scold him for what he's trying to do.

"Hmm?"

"Hey, no. Don't do that."

"Why? I just want to know what you're thinking."

"No. Stop it."

"Hmm? Hm?"

In that moment, Bryce got Tulip's attention as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Tulip, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Bryce, you too?"

"Listen, Tulip. Just hear me out, okay?"

Seeing the seriousness on his face, it was enough for Tulip to know that something must not be right for him to be like this. So, she agreed to listen to what he had to say, but she also couldn't keep Atticus waiting as she turned to him after replying to Bryce.

"Okay. Atticus, uh, Bryce and I are going to talk for a little bit. But we know where the door is, so it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while."

"Fantastic. Now, my friend, the Charter of Walkies dictates that no citizen—"

As Atticus walked with Aloysius, Tulip realized she'd forgotten to give him the time limit as she shouted to them.

"Meet back here in one hour!"

_**Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Unknown Darkness"**_

When they were out of view, Tulip turned back to Bryce and became worried about what he had to say.

"What's wrong?"

"This might sound crazy, especially now of all times, but I don't think we got off that easy since that Boogeyman Car."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. First, the cat showed up to try and trap us in our tapes. And now One-One's bugging out about this place."

"So?"

"You said it yourself. He wasn't this scared since the Boogeyman Car."

Realizing the words he'd spoken, Tulip was beginning to get the idea of what he was getting at.

"Wait. Are you trying to say we're being followed somehow?"

"I don't know. But we'll have to stay with Penny and One-One to be sure."

Tulip then turned back to Penny and One-One with a worried look on her face. His only time that he was this frightened was back when they entered the one car that she wished she never came into. Could he be right about that? Did the Boogeyman do that to One-One?

"One-One has been acting kinda weird lately."

"Exactly. That's why we have to keep an eye on him."

"Okay, okay. But we have to be subtle. I don't think it'll do any good to remind him of that nightmare."

Tulip and Bryce then went back to the two of them, just as Penny and One-One made a stack of bricks together, though the former couldn't figure out why.

"Hey, One-One? How come we're making a stack of bricks?"

"We're just setting up a wall, Ms. Penny."

"How come?"

Before he could answer, Tulip and Bryce got closer to the two of them before the former voiced her concern to One-One, who only stayed focused on the issue in front of him before the latter became curious about One-One's design.

"Hey, buddy. We're kinda worried about you."

"What's that? Are you decorating or something?"

"These bricks aren't supposed to be here at all."

Tulip became confused as to how he'd think that as she tried to find out before Sad One replied back to her.

"How do you know they're not supposed to be here?"

"It just isn't."

Tulip could tell something still bugged him, but it didn't seem to be about their mysterious stalker for now. At the moment, it seemed to be more of a general pet peeve for One-One. Besides, he did have a point about a few things here. Still, she checked with Bryce to see if it was an issue, to which he answered with a whisper.

"Just play along."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose someone could trip over these loose bricks."

"Exactly. And someone could trip over that loose house."

While the sentence confused Penny for a bit, One-One split himself up before both of his sides walked upward while the little girl followed, much to Tulip's behest, though she added a drumroll to her pun which made Bryce smile at her.

"Huh?"

"Come on, Ms. Penny. If we each take a side, we can do this in no time."

"Maybe we shouldn't all split up. Ba-dum. Shh."

"Nice one."

"Eh, it was a great setup."

As Tulip and Bryce looked back to One-One and Penny, they noticed the former's two halves pushing a door closer to a door-shaped hole in the building as Penny went to the left side of said door to help push while some turtles passed them by, taking notice of the little girl as she waved to them.

"Hi."

"Hey there, fella. Cute, little one, isn't she? Anyway, I was thinking about buying shoes."

"Oh. Really?"

While Bryce smiled at the sight, he went over to her to offer help.

"Hold up, Penny. I'll take the other side."

While Tulip watched as Bryce and Penny pushed with One-One, she began to notice something strange with Penny's shadow. It seemed to be more sinister than she remembered as it bore a wicked smile and a red eye, which made her take off her glasses and rub her eyes to be sure she wasn't imaging things. When she put them on again, her shadow was back to normal with the door pushed into place, though Tulip still felt unsure about this whole thing. Was she imagining things, or was Bryce right all along? Stumped for the moment, she watched as Bryce went over to Penny and checked on her.

"You doing okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good."

Bryce then looked back to Tulip and gave her a look that told her he noticed that same shadow, too. Not sure what to make of this, Tulip went back to the bricks, picking them up one by one as she wondered to herself.

"What is going on here...?"

_**End Chrome Canyon Music: "Unknown Darkness"**_

* * *

Meanwhile, Atticus was walking through the town with Aloysius, taking note of the designs around the buildings as he discussed the Corgis' way of life to him.

"We all want the tennis ball thrown, but we never want to drop it. Drop it!"

"I do enjoy the occasional leaf of romaine lettuce myself. Just don't tell the missus."

This made Atticus give a smile as he chortled with his mouth closed before looking at the building to his left, seeing it upside-down and suspended in the air, along with three turtles underneath it. Then, he took notice of a hole in the ground in front of them. The Corgi King couldn't help but be somewhat fascinated by it as he spoke to Aloysius in curiosity.

"This hole in the ground provides an interesting look."

"Our mail delivery service is built around them."

To demonstrate, a turtle mailman dropped all the mail into the hole, only for it to blow all of the letters to the the far houses with one turtle receiving his letters, though a few of them were scattered to the roof of his house and his lawn as he gave a thumbs up to the mailman, with which she gave a thumbs-up and a smile back to him before Aloysius continued explaining to Atticus.

"It's fast and everybody gets something. No disappointed faces from empty mailboxes in this kingdom."

Just when they walked around it, though, One-One's two halves put up a wooden board over the hole before scurrying Tulip over as she carried a bucket with a white cloth in it while Bryce and Penny followed.

"Okay, okay. Stop pushing. We're going. We're going."

As they walked, Bryce tried to talk about something with Penny to help distract her from the uneasiness he was presenting as it was getting her worried. And he knew just what the subject could be about to help take her mind off it. Obviously, it wouldn't be her nightmare, because who'd want to talk about those? He found this question to be more simpler than having to go through a nightmare again.

"So, uh... Penny."

"Hm?"

"I know Ms. Tabitha was your caretaker and all, but... do you know if you had a mother? Or a father, even?"

Bryce didn't intend it, but Penny began to shy away as she turned away with a sad look in her eyes as she answered back.

"Actually, I don't have them anymore..."

Seeing the sadness on her face, Bryce tried to apologize for making her feel that way.

"Oh. Sorry I asked."

Penny only sniffled as she wiped her face with her sleeve and responded melancholically, making Bryce a bit concerned for her.

"It's okay."

"Are you sure? Because you look anything but okay."

Feeling pressured to tell him how she really felt, Penny started to snap, but she kept her temper to herself.

"I'm fine, okay? Just... can you stop talking to me, please?"

While Penny walked onward, Bryce got the sense that she felt otherwise about it, giving a worried look for his little sister.

"Penny..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Atticus and Aloysius continued the survey on the latter's kingdom as the former grew puzzled about the exposed houses just as one turtle was tying a string inside the house to a wooden plank outside before hanging his laundry on the string.

"So what about your missing walls?"

"You mean the open quarter? Do your houses have walls on all sides? Well, how do your people get fresh air or dry their clothes?"

"Huh. You put a lot of thought into your designs."

"This is just how it is."

As Atticus and Aloysius walked away from the house, One-One scurried over to the house and started laying a stack of bricks on the floor as the turtle watched in curiosity.

Meanwhile, Bryce tried to keep an eye on Penny, but with her wanting some distance from him, it was becoming increasingly difficult. Since bringing up her parents, Bryce couldn't help but feel guilty for driving her away like that. More than that, the fact that her shadow is somehow linked to their being followed only added to his worry. Does she even know about the shadow she let linger in hers? Given how she's never talked about it, it was most likely. That was all the more reason for him to keep trying to reach out to his little sister, no matter what it takes... As for Penny, she started to get a bit annoyed at his persistence.

Bryce had been trying to get closer to her since he asked about her parents. She knows he didn't mean anything by it, but the truth is, it bugged her. Worse yet, he can't seem to take the hint that she doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe he knows that she doesn't, but he's instead trying to apologize for making her this way. Either way, she's had enough of people feeling sorry for her as she grunted before she shouted to him.

"Why do you keep following me?!"

"Because you wouldn't tell me what was wrong!"

"I told you, I'm fine! So stop following me!"

"I can't just do that, Penny! I let you go once, and it put you in danger! I can't let that happen to you again! If anything, I'd rather die than live on a world without you in it!"

In that moment, Bryce's words actually stirred an unpleasant feeling in her as she gasped. Bryce's last words made her remember the terrible things she saw in her nightmare as flashes of acid rain pelted down on the people and she could hear their screams in an unpleasant echo, along with the words of her now deceased mother.

"_I'd rather die than live in a world without you in it..."_

These sensations were just too much for her to bear as tears began to fall down her face and she began to run off, much to Bryce's worry.

"H-Hey! Penny!"

While he tried to pick up speed, Penny was only focused on getting as far away as she could, running past a black caps on the street which then took to the air like birds as they flapped the edges.

* * *

While the caps floated to the air, Tulip was seen cleaning the jam pond with the cloth and bucket before she wrung out the jam into the bucket. After what seemed to be a half-hour of work on the jam pond, Tulip stood up and took a sigh as she got about half of the jam pond taken care of while feeling proud of her work.

"Ha! Take that, Ms. Carlson! Now who needs improvement on cleaning up after herself and cursive and brevity?"

Tulip continued to clean up the pond with the cloth only to find an exposed panel with a glowing orb inside it as well as some jam around it, making her puzzled to find it here as she lifted it up. In the process, though, she inadvertently caused the jam to turn grey before she exclaimed and put it back in swiftly, restoring the color of the jam while Tulip stood back up and made a mental note not to mess with the car any more than she already has.

"Do not remove the orbs. Got it. I will write that down with less jammy hands."

While Tulip fling the jelly off of her hands, she began to look at her hand, particularly the one with her number on it. She was tempted to look into it as it began to turn to her face open-palmed. But before she could look into it, she changed her mind and closed it into a fist before putting her glove back on as she spoke to herself.

"We should probably get going anyway."

* * *

Later, Tulip found herself back to where the exit door was as she looked around for any sign of the others. Unfortunately, there wasn't any sign whatsoever about them as she shouted for them.

"Atticus! One-One! Bryce! Penny!"

Not one of them responded back to her shouts as Tulip looked behind her to see a bizarre plug with three holes in a triangle formation with one more smaller hole in the middle. Then, she remembered what Bryce told her about the possibility of something following them, and it made her nervous. Could he be right about this all along? Tulip didn't want to think on any more than that as she tried to stay positive like she said earlier and tried to think of another reason to go look for the others, which backfired when she realized that Bryce was just as capable of telling time as she is.

"I guess none of them know how long an hour is. But Bryce would, wouldn't he...?"

As Tulip began to look for the others, she went past a group of turtles talking to each other about their daily situations while looking left and right for any sign of her friends. When it seemed like she wouldn't find them, Tulip then took notice of the same jam pond she cleaned up earlier. Apparently, a lot of the turtles seemed perplexed by it and she tried to find out what the situation was about.

"W-What's going on?"

"Someone has moved the jam. It's dried up."

"Well, yeah. I was trying to help you clean it up."

In that moment, a pedestrian turtle slid on the jam pond before slipping and crashing himself into the bucket and cloth, which made the point that it didn't help any at all as the turtle spoke brashly to her.

"How are we supposed to slide to the other side? _Everything _is going to be slowed down if we have to walk!"

"Oh, you... use this? I-I didn't even think—"

Just then, another turtle with a phone, a fedora, and a tie came up as he spoke to his boss.

"Hey, chief. I'm gonna be late. No. No, no, no, the jam pond's been dried up. No, I-I-I don't know why it happened. I know _how _it happened, but I don't know _why _it happened."

Backed into a corner, Tulip became embarrassed and backed away.

"I'm really sorry..."

Unfortunately, sorry wasn't enough to cover all of One-One's attempts to "fix" the car. For example, the open quarter was almost completely closed. The one turtle that lives here was still able to get in and out, but his string wouldn't get to the wood plank to be able to dry his laundry, trying as he might. Another drawback that occurred was that the mail turtle only ended up dropping the mail onto a wooden board. Without any wind circulation from the hole, they only remained on the board, much to the mail turtle's dismay as she panicked and beat down on the plank for the circulation to work. Alas, it was in vain, and she was given a thumbs-down and a sour face, making her sad as tears cane down her face.

"Oh, no. Where's One-One?"

While One-One didn't come to her, Tulip turned around to see Penny running right to her with tears in her eyes. She couldn't understand why she was so upset and tried to identify the problem.

"Penny? What's—?"

Penny only shoved Tulip away, knocking her to the ground as she responded with a shout, running farther and farther away from her.

"Just leave me alone!"

Tulip began to be confused by this behavior from her. The last time this she saw her like that was after the Jungle Car when Bryce told them the truth. So what could've set her off this time? Could it have anything to do with that shadow that lingered with her? Just then, Bryce came by and saw Tulip on the ground. Instinctively, he helped her off of the ground and checked to see if she was alright as he spoke to her.

"Tulip, are you okay?"

"I think so. What's going on with Penny?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah. I think I saw her run to that—"

Suddenly, the sky began to darken with the nearby turtles running for their lives before pieces of the building and the ground started floating around the exit door and a cyclone pattern was shown up in the sky. He couldn't help but become scared to death with what's happening as he turned to Tulip.

"And what's been going on with you?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out, too."

Fortunately, they saw Atticus and Aloysius at the ground near the exit door. To find out what's going on, the two of them went to the kings and Bryce spoke up to Atticus about the situation first before Tulip asked about One-One's.

"Atticus, what the heck is going on?!"

"Have you seen One-One?"

"Seen him? We're trying to _stop _him! But we can't reach!"

The group all looked up to the sky and saw One-One at a belfry before he removed one of the orbs which lifted the stairs that off to the exit up into the air, much to Aloysius' concern as he spoke of the stability of his kingdom.

"If he moves all those stairs, the gravity will go with them and our kingdom will be torn apart!"

Troubling as it was for them both, Bryce was more worried for Penny as he noticed her sitting and crying on the ground that was lifted up while Tulip showed her fear for One-One.

"Oh, no..."

"One-One..."

Immediately, Tulip and Bryce ran for the stairs that just got lifted before a floor tile went up along with it and inadvertently lifted them closer to the stairs. Using the advantage while they could, Tulip and Bryce jumped to reach for the stairs, only to begin to fall, earning gasps from Atticus and Aloysius before they ended up pulled into the gravity of the stairs. Relieving as it was, they still needed to get to their friends and set things right one way or another. With two paths in front of them, one leading to Penny and the other leading to One-One, Bryce looked to Tulip and told him his plan.

"Tulip, I'll go try to help Penny. You try to get One-One to stop this."

"Okay!"

With that, Bryce took the path to Penny while Tulip headed for One-One as they jumped on a variety of bridges, stairs, and walkways in a sort of tunnel. Bryce knew it reminded him of that one computer game he played in his free time, but he was too focused on saving his sister to even care about it longer. When he finally jumped to the same piece of ground as her, Bryce looked ahead of him to see Penny crying in a fetal position. It wasn't something he wanted to see, but he wouldn't blame her as a part of him blamed himself for even asking that question in the first place.

"Penny... are you okay?"

Penny didn't budge from where she was sitting, only burying her head deeper in her legs as she spoke sadly.

"Why can't you just go away...?"

In response, Bryce bore a sad face and walked to her more gently as he spoke in a compassionate tone.

"I already told you. I don't want to lose you again. I-I know I messed up by asking you about... well, you know. But everything's going to be okay, Penny. I swear."

Penny didn't feel that way as she lifted her face up with a sour look, her tears remaining as she spoke back to him in a voice threatening to yell.

"No. Everything's _not _going to be okay...! You told me we have to stay positive, and until you asked me about my mom and dad, I was doing just fine!"

"I know that! And I'm trying to tell you how sorry I am for bringing them up to your face!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?! What did I do wrong?! I can't help you if you don't tell me!"

"WHY SHOULD YOU HELP ME WHEN IT'S ALL MY FAULT?!"

Suddenly, Penny's darker shadow emerged from where her shadow was and began to reveal itself as it rose from the ground and exposed its black, long-clawed, red-eyed form to the both of them before it shrieked at Bryce, forcing him to get out his cubed sword as Penny looked on in terror. When the shadow turned to see her, Penny tried to run, but she was unable to as her shadow kept her legs on the ground, unable to move them on her own.

* * *

Meanwhile, One-One lifted a glowing orb from one of the panels, causing several stairs to disappear while a tree was lifted off of the ground. Along her path, Tulip was forced to duck as a floor tile came at her before another cane at her, which made her bend herself backward before she jumped up to a set of stairs, one of many that led the way to the belfry. Tulip then went from one set of stairs to another until she got as close to the belfry as she could be before she tried to convince One-One to cease this madness.

"One-One, you have to stop!"

Tulip then noticed a small horizontal step before she went on it before jumping to a sideways pillar in front of it and clung onto it before she spoke to him again, only for him to reply back with his glad and sad voices separately before they blended together ominously and in a monotonous tone to go with it.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm helping, Ms. Tulip. I'm putting it—"

"-where it's supposed to be."

"If they knew it was broken—"

"—they would've fixed it."

"They don't need to worry anymore. I'm here to get things back in order."

Tulip was getting more fearful than she should be for One-One. This wasn't like him at all...

"One-One, you're really scaring me."

He did not respond to Tulip, only focusing on repairing his apparent mistakes as he removed an orb from a panel, causing the sky above them to expose that of the outside world. In turn, it caused the people down below to lose their gravity and float in the air, threatened to get pulled into the hole from above as a turtle was still speaking in the phone to his chief.

"Yeah, yeah. Now I'm floating away!"

* * *

Back on Bryce's end, the shadow monster snarled as it extended itself from Penny's body to get to Bryce, forcing him to defend himself as he used his cubed sword to block its claws, only to be knocked to another chunk of ground that pulled his back to its surface until he laid on it sideways. Seeing her big brother in danger, Penny let out a gasp of worry before the shadow monster lunged at Bryce, aiming to impale him with its claws while urging him to defend himself with his sword. Thinking quickly, Penny could only clutch her hands on the shadow monster, thus stopping his movement as the beast's claws only stopped just near his sword, causing it to become puzzled about its hesitation before turning to see Penny holding it back.

Infuriated by her efforts, the shadow creature lunged itself at Penny with a shriek, making her worried as she whimpered, calling Bryce to action as he leaped from the chunk of ground he laid on to the monster, trying to go as fast as he could to cut it down before he called to it to distract it.

"Leave my sister alone!"

Hearing his voice, the shadow creature stopped its charge, making a puzzled sound before looking up in time to see Bryce's sword cut it down the middle, splitting it in two as it shrieked in pain while Bryce landed on the ground. But despite it, the situation didn't go as Bryce would hope. Instead of disappearing, the two halves began to go into Penny's mouth, forcing its whole being inside her.

"NO!"

In his attempt to stop it, Bryce ran to Penny to pull the creature away from her, but it was too late. By the time he got close to her, the shadow creature was already inside her body. His next instinct then was to see if Penny was still herself.

"Penny, are you okay?"

She could only reply with a groan before looking to Bryce in concern.

"I... I don't feel good, Bryce..."

Suddenly, Penny's arms began to change into that of the monster's as they were wrapped in a thin, black shadow before its claws grabbed him by Bryce's head, earning Penny's shock as the arms suddenly moved beyond her control. With Bryce trapped in its grip, the shadow began to crush his head, earning a scream from him before Tulip turned to see Bryce being held hostage by Penny, who was apparently being possessed by the shadow monster as her fear for them grew worse.

"No...!"

Desperate to find a way out, Bryce looked to his cubed sword in his hand, though he was hesitant. He feared that it might hurt her, too. With each claw pressing into his head, Bryce began to feel that he was a failure for letting her sister get into this position.

"Penny... I'm sorry I failed you..."

As Penny saw Bryce's life leaving his eyes, she began to shed tears for him and closed her eyes with a grunt before she shouted.

"You... stop it... right... now!"

In her struggle, Penny was able to lift the dark finger of the shadow monster from Bryce's head slowly. One by one, the other fingers followed before Bryce fell to the ground and placed his hand on his head, trying to recover from what could've been a killing blow before noticing that Penny was trying to hold herself back with a few grunts. She was resisting the monster somehow, but she knew it can't last forever. So, she looked to Bryce for what she felt was the right decision.

"Bryce... do it! Hurry!"

Getting the idea of where she was going, Bryce fearfully looked to his sword and then back to Penny, who gave him a look that told him he needed to do it. This was something that he'd never thought he'd have to do, and already it's made himself driven to tears at the thought of doing it.

"No... No! I won't do that to you, Penny!"

"You have to! You'll die if you don't! And I don't want you to die!"

In his hesitation, the shadow creature took control back and launched its arm at Bryce, forcing him to duck before he cut off the arm and made the monster shriek in pain while Penny began to scream along with it, much to Bryce's horror as he looked to her pain-writhed face.

"Penny!"

"No! Don't stop! I'll be okay...!"

"Are you crazy?! You'll die!"

"I don't care! I don't want to live like this!"

The shadow creature then regenerated its arm and launched both of them at Bryce, forcing him to duck, but instead of cutting them off, he ran right to her before hugging her, catching her by surprise as Bryce held onto her tightly while he spoke softly.

"But I don't want you to die, either... little sister."

Upon hearing his words, Penny began to feel touched by them, particularly the last two words he'd said to her. He hadn't personally called her that before, unless it's to tell her who she was to others. For him to say it to her face was beyond touching. It showed how much he cared for her, no matter what she did or what happened to her. Suddenly, the shadow creature's arms retracted and removed themselves from Penny's own arms before it burst out of her mouth as she groaned, her older brother looking after her.

"Penny, are you okay?"

"I think so..."

It wouldn't be for much longer, however, as the shadow creature began to enlarge itself and swirl all around them at such a speed, it's turned itself into a pitch black void, one that allowed no light to enter at all. Bryce and Penny were all alone in the dark... Inside the black abyss, Penny began to sob out of hopelessness for what's happening around them, much to her older brother's puzzlement.

"Penny, what's wrong?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's my fault you're trapped here. Like it's my fault that mom and dad aren't here anymore..."

"What?"

* * *

On Tulip's end, she was worried for Bryce and Penny. There's no way of knowing if they'll even be alive in there. As unsettling as the thought was for her to even bear at all, she held hope that they'll be able to survive in that void. And she used that hope to give her the strength to stand up on the pillar while she spoke again to One-One, who responded in both voices simultaneously.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I have to help put things in order. It wouldn't be like this if I had just been better."

"Look around you! This isn't helping!"

"How can I not try and fix it? It's my fault."

Then it all made sense. Tulip recalled when One-One said that he broke it, and why he's been crazy about trying to fix everything. It wasn't because of the shadow monster that's trapping her friends... It was all him. He gave into his fear of failure all by himself...

"Is that what you think? That it's your fault?"

"I know it..."

* * *

Meanwhile in the black void, Bryce tried to find out what Penny meant by what she'd said to him.

"What do you mean it's your fault? What aren't you telling me?"

Penny only bore a saddened face his way as she replied.

"If I told you, you'd just leave me, the way I left you..."

Bryce couldn't help but feel bad for Penny. Whatever happened to her in that Boogeyman Car must've been eating her up. That must be how that Boogeyman left that shadow imprint to follow them. This whole time she was... afraid of being responsible for her friends being gone. But he never blamed her one bit.

He knew all too well what that fear was like. If anything, it just made him someone she can relate to. Besides, she's his little sister. He made it very clear not too long ago. To remind her if it, he held his hand on hers as he spoke.

"No, Penny. I wouldn't."

* * *

Back on Tulip's side, she continued her attempt to reason with One-One.

"No, One-One. It's not your fault the car is this way. There isn't a fault. It just is. But all of this, you trying to make it your responsibility, this is causing real harm, especially to the people who _really_ need your help. Don't you see?"

While Tulip pointed to all the carnage he'd inadvertently wrought, One-One took notice of everything floating and the red sky being exposed, along with the black void in which Bryce and Penny were trapped.

* * *

"What do you know?"

"I know _you_, Penny. And I also know that you would never do anything wrong."

Penny felt his word hard to believe since he kept his bank robbery a secret from her. Perhaps she was still a little upset that he'd lied to her, and he wouldn't blame her, especially at this point.

"I thought _you_ wouldn't do anything wrong. Look how that turned out..."

"I know, and I'm still sorry for keeping it from you. But you're still young, and a smart kid. So there's no way it's your fault, no matter how you feel about it. Plain and simple."

"Even if I wanted to tell you what I did, I... I'm scared about what my friends will think of me..."

"Don't be. If they were really your friends, they'd understand. Like they understood me. The point is, whatever you have to say, I'll always be there for you. And I know Tulip will tell you the same thing."

* * *

Speaking of Tulip, she was getting closer to bringing One-One to reason as she spoke on a personal level to him.

"I know what it's like to think that if you had just been... better, things would've been different, that you're responsible for fixing things you can't control. Just know that I speak from experience when I say, 'this is not your fault.' And I still wanna help you, One-One. If you'll let me..."

One-One gave Tulip a sad look on his face as she held her hand out to him before turning to the orb he took out.

* * *

In the black void, Bryce and Penny started to hug each other despite being in the dark as the former brushed her hair as she spoke softly before he replied in that same tone.

"Thanks, big brother..."

"I'm happy to be here for you, little sister..."

* * *

Then, just as One-One put the removed orb back into place, the turtles and Atticus fell back on the ground while the shadow barrier began to convulse as its red eyes narrowed thinly and the base of its dome wobbled, much to Bryce and Penny's surprise before the barrier dissipated and turned back into its true form while it writhed. Its struggle didn't last much longer as it then began to have a crack of white light in its chest which expanded until it overtook its whole body and disappeared as it roared in vain echoes, turning into shreds of itself before they faded away. After which, Bryce and Penny looked to each other again before they held each other tightly with smiles as the latter giggled a bit.

All the while, Tulip started to lose her balance before her she regained it as her pillar moved up to the belfry where she held her hands for One-One and he went into them before she held him tightly to her head.

* * *

Later, both sides of the group that went up went back down with their rescued comrades as Atticus went to Penny and licked her in the face as she giggled while Bryce smiled, happy to see Penny smiling again just as Aloysius came towards them. Tulip had a feeling as to what it was about as she spoke to his majesty.

"Your Highness, we both feel terrible about, don't we?"

As Tulip gave One-One her "tut-tut" finger with her right hand, Sad One began to make the apology as he looked down sadly.

"Sorry..."

"He's kinda going through a lot right now."

Before anyone else can say a word, the turtle with a fedora and a tie came up, still speaking to his chief about the conditions of his world.

"Yeah, the whole sky's gone. Yeah, it's missing. But, uh, there's a different sky behind it. Oh, the whole portfolio's gonna be delayed."

Tulip only gave an embarrassed smile to Aloysius before he commented on the current condition of his kingdom, especially since some of the buildings were demolished in the process, for which Atticus offered a solution to him.

"Well, this is quite a mess."

"If I may, the Corginian Response Team specializes in disaster relief. Well, they mostly work with doorbell aftermath, but I still think they could be of help."

"I may take you up on that offer my friend."

With that, Atticus shook his paw with Aloysius' foot, having made a trust in each other despite the aftermath.

* * *

Later, when the group was leaving the car, One-One's eyes were blinking blue and red, much to Tulip's confusion before One-One began to act like himself again.

"Hello! I'm One!"

"One."

"I know. I'm Tulip."

"Do we ever truly know who we are?"

Upon hearing it from Sad One, Penny began to lower her face down, sad to think about what she saw in that nightmare of hers before Bryce placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look up to him as he spoke softly.

"You don't have to tell them right away, but when you're ready, I'll be with you. Okay, little sis?"

Bryce began to ruffle her hair a little bit, making Penny laugh a bit before she answered just before Glad One spoke proudly.

"Okay."

"With my best friends by my side, we push onward, to our homes and mothers!"

* * *

Back in the main base of the Fear Car, Osore had witnessed through the camera of the strange hole on the panel of the Turtle Car the destruction of his shadow creature as Bryce and Tulip watched. And it didn't please him one bit... not that it would change anything planned ahead of his schedule.

"So, they caught on to my shadow mimicry. Not that it matters. I already know where they're going. And I can promise those passengers this: they won't be so lucky the second time..."

* * *

_**Play There For Tomorrow Music: "Road To Nowhere"**_

In a black screen, the train zipped by with two green words saying "Act 2" before they faded away as the train disappeared to show a red door as the narrator spoke.

"Act Two of Infinity Train has begun."

The red door began to open from the other side to show Tulip, Bryce, Penny, Atticus, and One-One as they all stood amazed at the sight of their next car speaking simultaneously.

"Wow..."

Two more green words appeared saying "New Cars" in the same train background as before while she spoke before it showed a Cupid-like man with a tuxedo and a rose clipped to it inside a car with pink clouds as he got in-between Bryce and Tulip as they blushed while the narrator and the cupid spoke.

"With new cars..."

"Welcome to the Car of Love!"

* * *

After that, it showed a teenager with a white hoodie and white-blonde hair playing a game at an arcade as Tulip and Bryce played against him with Atticus, Penny, and One-One watching as the boy challenged Tulip.

"I bet you guys can't beat my high score."

"Oh, you're on!"

* * *

Then, two more green words appeared in the background saying "New Friends"before it showed a girl with medium brown hair braided with two strands of her hair forming a ponytail as they entwine, her outfit being a small, purple jacket with a red shirt inside, and a small, green T-Rex beside her as the narrator spoke before Penny spoke curiously to them in a background of a wasteland.

"New friends..."

"Who are you guys?"

"You can call me Ava."

"And you can call me, 'Rexy the Wrecker!'"

Penny looked confused towards the green dinosaur before Ava explained.

"He doesn't actually wreck stuff. It's just a nickname."

* * *

Then, the background showed two more words in green showing "New Enemies" before it showed Osore inside a white background and using his claws on its surface to spread a black code on it as it spread before it showed the people in the area being assaulted by acid rain and scurrying off in a hurry as he gave a smirk within while the narrator announced it before the Cat spoke about Osore as it showed her talking to Penny, Ava, and Rexy.

"And new enemies."

"Osore is nothing short of the devil himself."

Then, it showed Osore marches to the group, emerging from the shadows as Penny, Ava, Rexy, and the cat looked on in surprise before showing the Stewardess firing at Tulip, Bryce, Penny, Atticus, and One-One in the car that housed many ball pits and play pipes as they scurried over while Osore spoke.

"Fee can manipulate _anyone _and _anything._"

Then, it showed Tulip trapped in the Stewardess's grip as the Conductor walked to her before Bryce stood up with his cubed sword in hand as he spoke to Tulip.

"This would've been so much easier for all of us if you had just stayed put."

Then, in a barren wasteland of a city, it showed Bryce getting out his cubed sword before doing battle with Night Shroud with Tulip joining him as she used a Donut-Holer to block her electric baton with her glove as an insulant as Bryce spoke to her.

"You're not getting in my head again!"

Then, it showed the train zooming in the background as the logo for Infinity Train appeared along with two green words below saying "Act 2" before they both faded to add in more green words as the narrator spoke them before the Cartoon Network logo appeared.

"Infinity Train Act Two. Continues Monday December 16th at 7:30."

_**End There for Tomorrow Music: "Road To Nowhere"**_

**A/N: Bam! How'd you like that trailer I set up? To clarify who the characters were, the cupid would be known as The Cupid and he'd be portrayed by Henry Wrinkler, the boy that challenged Tulip is named Bobby and will be voiced by Greg Cipes, Ava will be portrayed by Bella Ramsey, and Rexy, the lovable tiny T-Rex, is voiced by Nathan Lane. Apart from them, a lot of the scenes shown in this trailer is taken out of context in the future chapters of Act 2, but you can feel free to think of what you think happens until I post them in real time. Until then, have fun with your imagination. :)**


	11. The Arcade Car

**A/N: Hello. Sorry I couldn't post it earlier, but this Monday, I had to do some Christmas Shopping, so I wasn't able to post it in the time of 7:30 on Monday. I hope there's no hard feelings. Anyway, here is the next chapter of Book Two. And as you may or may not know, it'll contain one of the aforementioned characters in the sneak peek from my last chapter. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :)**

**Chapter X: **The Arcade Car

Things became curioser and curioser since the Turtle Car. The moment they left the car to progress forward, One-One acted as if he hadn't single-handedly put the car's residents in danger with his need to fix it. They could've easily been concerned, but after five cars, nothing else changed about One-One. Maybe there was a signal in that car that repurposed him somehow? Whatever the case, they didn't have to worry about One-One glitching out again, at least in the near future. However, things weren't all well, as far as Penny is concerned...

Ever since her rescue, Penny was the unwitting subject of Osore's supposed shadow link. None one of them, not even her, suspected it until they came across the bizarre car. Bryce tried to be there for her, but her trauma revolving around her nightmare made it difficult for her to let him. And as a result, the shadow monster that was part of the link began to attack her older brother and trap them in its void. Fortunately, the shadow was thwarted when the brother and sister reconciled. However, Penny's still weary of spilling the beans as to what she saw in that nightmare of hers. It was too personal for her...

Bryce only knew some of it through what she told him in the void, that she felt it was her fault. It made no sense to him about how such a sweet, little girl could be responsible for something she would find too terrible, whatever it may be. Regardless, he, out of all people, knew what it was like to harbor something a secret so devastating that it could drive them apart. So, he decided to let her tell them on her own time. But it's proven longer than he thought.

Almost a month had passed from that Turtle Car incident, and she still didn't open up about it. Maybe it's possible that she'd chosen to forget about what happened in that incomplete car. So far, it seems to be working out. However, little did she know that such luck can never last, at least not forever. Like it or not, the past will come back to haunt her...

The group was just exiting the car, shown to be a vast blue sky and populated by puppy-like cloud creatures that were known for their playfulness, much to Penny's edification as Bryce checked with the group on the head count.

"Okay. Let's do a head count real quick. Tulip?"

"Here."

"One-One?"

"Ditto!"

"Here."

"Atticus?"

"Present."

"Penny?"

"I'm here."

When Bryce looked down to her, he noticed a cloud puppy beside her. Much as it peeved him, Bryce wouldn't blame her. They bothered her way less than the Corgis at Corginia when she met them. It's probably why she brought it with her. Unfortunately, she couldn't be able to bring it with her with Bryce's discretion.

"Come on, Penny. We talked about this."

"Are you sure we can't bring it with us?"

"Penny, it's a huge responsibility to look after a pet. I think you'll need more experience before we even consider letting you get a pet."

Atticus couldn't agree more with Bryce on that point, being a dog himself.

"Bryce does have a point, young Penny. Any canine would be too much for a thirty-six-year old to look after."

Hearing that age about Penny, Tulip became confused and corrected him.

"Uh, don't you mean a six-year-old?"

"My point still stands nonetheless. Besides, I'm sure your friend has a family of his own, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but—"

Before Penny could finish, Bryce interrupted with a stern, yet gentle voice.

"No buts about it, Penny. We can't bring it with us. It needs its family."

This made Penny a bit saddened as she looked to her puppy then back to its home where she saw a cloud puppy family staring at her. The longer she looked at them, the more guilty she felt about taking her puppy with her. Sad to have to be apart from the cloud puppy as she was, Penny turned back to it and held its soft face with both of her hands as she spoke softly to it.

"Sorry I couldn't bring you with me. But I promise I'll visit you, okay?"

As an answer, the cloud puppy licked her on the face with its cloudy tongue. It wasn't a regular dog tongue, so it was practically like feeling a mist dragging itself across her cheek as she smiled sadly at her puppy before she set it back in its world and watched as it hopped, barking all the way to its family before it stopped by and gently rubbed itself against them as they smiled. Then, somehow or another, Penny began to get a flicker of something in her mind as the family of cloud puppies quickly turned into a vision of a little baby, a woman with light brown hair at a long length, her outfit comprised of a beautiful light blue gown and white shoes along with a man with dark brown hair that had sideswept bangs and a long-sleeved red shirt along with a set of jean pants that had a grey color. The woman she saw was holding a baby girl with light brown hair, swaddled in a blanket. The flash was making her confused for a moment before she rubbed her eyes and saw that the family of cloud puppies have returned before they began to go further into their world with one puppy turning behind itself to see Penny and look at her a bit before continuing on its way. After which, the door closed on her as Penny hung her head down a bit as tears begin to come out of her eyes and she began to sniffle, getting sympathetic looks from Bryce, Tulip, Atticus, and One-One. In the moment, Glad One had an idea about why Penny was so sad-looking as he walked over to the sniffling girl and spoke to her.

"It'll be fine, Ms. Penny. I'm sure he'll never forget about you."

"Really? You sure?"

"More than sure. After the time you've had with it, I wouldn't be surprised if it told stories about you."

"Even the embarrassing ones."

Despite Sad One's addition, it did make it easier for Penny to move on as she made a slight giggle while holding One-One in her hands.

"You're so weird, One-One."

"Thank you."

With the cloud puppy car having been traversed, Bryce and Tulip turned to the next car in front of them and went over to it as the latter became curious about how Penny's handling things.

"So, Bryce, how's Penny doing these days?"

"Uh, fine as she can be. It's a nice change of pace from what happened with that shadow monster, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess. But, I hadn't seen Penny actually push someone away like that since you told us the truth. Got any idea what that's about?"

In that moment, Bryce wasn't sure what to tell her. He told her that she can tell the others on her own time, but it wouldn't work out if he just went and told her, not that he knew all the details. Bryce then tried to answer Tulip as he looked to her.

"Honestly, I still don't have a clue."

"Oh. Well, at least she's happy now. And that's all that matters, right?"

As Tulip got to work on opening the door, Bryce looked back to Penny, Atticus, and One-One behind him, he felt a bit concerned about how long it'd last as he replied softly.

"Yeah. Sure..."

* * *

Inside the car, the red door began to open from the other side to show Tulip, Bryce, Penny, Atticus, and One-One as they all stood amazed at the sight of their next car speaking simultaneously.

"Wow..."

It was the only word they could get out as they stared at a long row of arcade games, ranging from Pac-Man to TRON, and on another side of it was a prize counter. It had a sign above it which said "Prize Corner". And beside it was a menu of food items one can order here, like the ones at restaurants. The whole decoration of this car was right on point as Tulip looked around in awe, much to Bryce's expectations and Penny's interest.

"I can't believe this! Are we really inside an arcade right now?!"

"Well, it had to happen at some point."

"What's an arcade?"

"Uh, only the coolest thing ever! It's got all these sweet games you can play, and they give you some tickets, and you can redeem them for super-cool stuff here!"

With Tulip going in full-hype mode as her squealing was beginning to get prolonged, One-One's glad side was feeling happy for her while his sad side grew concerned for her.

"It must be pretty exciting for Ms. Tulip to be like this."

"I think her brain might've stalled."

To snap her out of it, Bryce spoke to her while snapping his fingers to manage her hype-mode.

"Hey, Tulip. Take it easy. We still need to get back home, remember?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, Bryce. You're right. This isn't the time to get so excited. Now, where's the door?"

In search for the exit where she stood, Tulip looked far ahead past the line of arcade games to see a red door at the end of the hall, much to her relief.

"Oh. There it is."

The group then went past the arcade games with Bryce holding Penny's hand before Tulip attempted to open it, but to no avail as it was basically glued shut like in the Crystal Car before she had to sing. However, it didn't infuriate her as much as she turned to the group behind her.

"Okay. The door's basically locked, but no need to panic. I'm sure we can find a key to get out of here."

It was sure to get One-One's attention as he recalled an important detail from when he looked in the prize corner while Tulip was in hype-mode.

"You mean like that key I saw in the prize corner?"

"Wait, what?"

The group then walked all the way to the prize counter to notice a small yellow key with a keychain shaped like an infinity symbol as Tulip became surprised while Penny became curious about the tags below the items that showed how much they cost before both sides of One-One explained them to her.

"Huh. That was lucky."

"What are those things?"

"They're called price tags, Ms. Penny. They tell how much those items are worth in money."

"What's money?"

"Money is a construction used to tell everyone who the man is."

While Sad One confused Penny with his existentialistic answer, Atticus began to notice something that personally caught his eye behind the unbreakable glass as he gasped in surprise before he spoke to himself.

"My word! Who is this fine canine?"

It was a lifelike doll of a Golden Retriever. Somehow, the mere look of it put butterflies in Atticus' stomach, much to the group's confusion as Tulip spoke to him.

"Uh, Atticus. That's just a—"

Tulip wasn't able to get a word in to Atticus as he placed his paws on the glass and spoke to the toy with grace despite his position.

"Greetings, Madame. I am Atticus, King and United of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. What is your name?"

The toy only stood silent as Atticus waited for its reply. Unfortunately, no answer came from it, leaving the king puzzled as he spoke to himself before Bryce decided to move on.

"Hmm. Perhaps she's too shy to speak."

"Well, either way, we got to focus, anyhow."

Then, Bryce looked up to see the clerk of the prize counter as she tried to get his attention.

"Uh, excuse me, sir? How much for the key right there?"

"Just one second."

The clerk turned around to see the group, but he wasn't what they expected him to be. He was revealed to be an animatronic bear with a blue and orange striped outfit that had a name tag that said "Fred". Penny didn't quite know what to make of this figure so she was easily startled as she went behind Bryce's legs. It's been a long time since she'd acted like this. It was a wonder to Bryce that she didn't act like that to the turtles. Maybe it was because of how slow their approach was to the group. Either way, it reminded Bryce that Penny can still get shy around people she hadn't met before. And he felt it best to keep that in mind as he replied to the clerk when he showed confusion.

"Uh, sorry about that. She's a bit shy. Anyway, how much for the key?"

"Well, sir, that key is gonna cost you a lot of tickets."

"Yeah? How much?"

"About 10,000 tickets."

This was quite a tall order for Bryce as his eyes widened at the thought of it. How were they supposed to get that many tickets?

"10,000 tickets?! How are we supposed to get that many?!"

Tulip didn't seem to see this as a problem as she gave a smile to the clerk and replied to him.

"Okay. Thanks for telling us. Really good to know."

This was a shock for Bryce to see Tulip so calm like this as he nodded back to her. Back then, she was so stressed about not being able to get out of the train. But since escaping the Cat's trap, she decided not to stress herself out with her number. It didn't mean she wouldn't stress out about the cars, however. So why isn't she...?

"Uh, Tulip? How can you be so calm about this?"

"Bryce, it's okay. We're the only ones in here. Besides, it is kinda my zone."

Bryce began to see the picture clearly. They will be able to get the key, after all. As long as no one else interfered, it's just a matter of time. Then, he began to catch on to something else. With how hyped Tulip had been, Bryce could tell there's more to it than that.

"You just really wanna play those games, don't you?"

"Well, I know we gotta go home at some point, but can you blame me?"

Seeing how happy Tulip is, Bryce couldn't help but smile at her grin. She must be as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Then again, it is to be expected from someone who's specializing in Game Design. Like he said, it had to happen at some point.

"I guess not. As long as you have fun."

Tulip gave a smile back to Bryce as she nodded in agreement to that before turning to the clerk.

"Can we get two cups of tokens, please?"

"But of course."

The animatronic clerk went over to the token dispenser and got two cups out for it before pulling a lever that dropped tokens into them until they were full. When the cups were filled up, the clerk handed them over to Tulip and Bryce as he spoke to them.

"Here you go. Two cups of tokens. Have a fun time."

With that, the clerk then went back to his business as he turned around and went to the other side of the prize corner before Tulip turned to Bryce.

"Guess we better get cracking, huh?"

* * *

_**Play Buckner & Garcia Music: "Pac-Man Fever"**_

And so, their quest for 10,000 tickets began as Bryce and Tulip set up a station at a table by the arcade games with their token cups at the center of it, as well as a machine that takes the tickets and gives out the exact number on a smaller piece of paper before Tulip stated the plan to the group.

"Okay, here's the plan. We're going to play as many games and win as many tickets as we can. One-One and Atticus will stay behind to keep an eye on Penny, because you know, no thumbs. Beside that, they'll be using the ticket redeemer keep track of how many tickets we win in total until we get to 10,000, and then we can move on."

"Sounds pretty solid, Tulip. Let's do it."

With the plan set up, Bryce and Tulip started playing the arcade games with the token cups at a table where Penny, One-One, and Atticus watched them play. The first games they'd played were in the Pac-Man franchise with Bryce playing the original while Tulip played Ms. Pac-Man. With their quick coordination and their wits, Bryce and Tulip both beat the high score of the games, though to the former's surprise, the latter had finished it before he did by only half a minute as Tulip gave a smirk.

"What took you so long?"

Once they pooled the tickets together, they fed their tickets to the machine that made a munching sound as it took them, making Penny giggle at it before she pushed a button once they were all accounted for, bringing the total up to 1,000, 500 each for the two of them. Next, they went to another arcade game called "Frogger", with Bryce having cleared six levels of it only to be trumped by a car when he was cornered whereas Tulip beat fourteen of them as she pumped her fists in celebration before they pooled the tickets together again. With the ticket muncher then, Bryce ended up getting 300 tickets while Tulip got 700 of them, adding up the total to 2,000. The games went on and on, the number of tickets rising steadily from 3,500 to 5,000 before 7,000 and so on. When the total amount of tickets went up to 9,000, Bryce and Tulip felt that one more game would be enough to get the necessary amount of tickets and the key to unlock the door.

_**End Buckner & Garcia Music: "Pac-Man Fever"**_

Little did they know, however, that while the two of them continued, Penny was starting to get bored of watching them play against each other, especially since she knew Tulip would rack up more tickets than Bryce. Even One-One was aware of how dull it could be as his glad side spoke up before Penny and Atticus spoke up intermittently.

"This is starting to get a little dull, don't you think?"

"Uh-huh."

"Agreed. I've been getting most anxious about talking to this captivating beauty again. I'm still wondering as to why she wouldn't speak to me."

Confused as it made the two of them, Penny wanted a way to distract herself from the boredom as she groaned. Penny originally wanted to play with Tulip and Bryce, but she was too short to reach the joystick or see the screen, so that option was out of the window. And it was driving her nuts.

"I'm so bored...!"

Fortunately, One-One had an idea as he took one of the ticket receipts stating to be worth 1,000 of them and placed it in front of her as his glad side spoke up in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Well, how about we go get you something to take your mind off those doldrums, hmm?"

"But, I thought we were saving them for that key."

"Come on, Ms. Penny. What's one more game for them gonna hurt?"

Penny wasn't sure she'd be in a mood to wait any longer because of a ticket miscount. But then again, she did see Tulip so happy with Bryce. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get something out of this place while she can.

"Okay. I guess it wouldn't hurt to look."

"Excellent! Let's go see what prizes they have around the corner! Get it?"

Penny couldn't help but laugh at the quip One-One came up with as she carried the little ball in her hands before Atticus followed them and went back to the Prize Counter to talk with the Golden Retriever doll as he did a curtsy before he tried to speak to it.

"Uh, hello again. I have returned to be graced by your presence. I hope it doesn't seem too alarming for you."

Again, the doll made no effort to reply before Atticus tried to come up with a solution to get it to open up.

"Hmm... perhaps my telling you about myself would help you feel better enough to talk."

While Atticus proceeded to tell his history, Penny and One-One looked at various knickknacks within the glass container as she tried to find something that'd be fun for her to use as she came across a fancy watch, a diamond ring, and a crystal ball beside the key to the door, which One-One looked into while she passed on the items.

"No. Nuh-Uh. Mm-mm."

While Sad One looked into the crystal ball, he began to feel a sense of dread from it as he began to speak about his own future.

"Someday, I'll perish inside a glass case from suffocation..."

Dismal as he sounded, Penny felt it was a bit weird given the talk Tulip and Bryce gave to him about that sort of thing in the Crystal Car.

"One-One, you're a robot, remember? You can't breathe air, anyway."

"Way to crush my beliefs with hard truths."

Penny then went back to the focus of getting a little something to keep herself occupied but was having a bit of difficulty in completing the task, so she had to ask the clerk up above her what the good options were, already forgetting that it happened to be an animatronic bear as she spoke up.

"Excuse me. I want to use 1,000 tickets please."

In response, Fred turned around and leaned over the other side of the prize counter, the white light from it stinging on his mechanical bear muzzle with his eyes flaring a bit as he spoke.

"Looking to buy something, are ya?"

In Penny's view, it came out more ominous than she would've liked as she began to see a fiery background behind him as it laughed in a tone that sounded like he was distorted before she stood still while she stuttered as One-One vouched to speak for her.

"Why, yes. We're wondering what item would be good for 1,000 tickets. Isn't that right, Ms. Penny?"

Unfortunately, she was too shocked with panic to respond back to One-One as she shuddered before he tried to get her attention.

"Ms. Penny? Are you okay?"

Suddenly, Penny began to scream as she tossed One-One in the air before she ran away from him and into the hall of arcade games as she yelled out.

"MONSTER!"

As Penny took off, One-One landed on Atticus, making him "oof!" a bit before he noticed that Penny was running away as he became concerned and felt the urge to go after her kick in since he heard her say "monster", linking it to the one thing he's hunting down.

"A monster? Could it be? Sorry I couldn't stay longer, ma'am, but I must see to my friend's safety. We'll talk more later, if I can, that is."

As Atticus went after Penny, Fred became a bit confused himself, mostly about the situation in general as he looked to where they ran.

"What was that all about?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Penny kept on running and running in her panic until she got to Bryce and Tulip, who'd just finished their last game, TRON, by defeating the Master Control Program with Bryce's points being closer to Tulip's by 500 points.

"Man! So close."

"It actually wasn't that bad, Bryce. You were pretty good."

Just then, Bryce felt his little sister holding on to the former's leg, much to the duo's confusion and worry as Bryce looked down to her and saw how timid she was.

"Penny? What's gotten into you?"

"I-I-I saw a m-m-monster!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

For confirmation, One-One and Atticus went up to Bryce and Tulip as the latter of the two spoke to her.

"Penny! Thank goodness you are safe. Now, where's this monster you spoke of?"

Penny pointed to the prize corner before Bryce and the others all looked to that direction to see Fred at the counter before realizing what she meant. The poor girl must've been frightened by him, whether he intended to or not. He then held her up close to him with his hands on her legs as he spoke gently to her.

"Oh, Penny. He's just a clerk who works here. He's not a monster."

"Are you sure? He was so scary..."

Sad One only made a remark toward's Penny's opinion.

"Don't you believe it."

Tulip couldn't help but feel sorry for Penny to be so scared. To think she forgot how shy she was when they first met. It's a good thing Penny got more used to her along the way, or she'd be scared all the time. For that, she smiled to her and rubbed her hair.

"So was I, but you got over that, didn't you?"

While Penny giggled from the noogie, Bryce looked at the earnings from TRON before he turned back to Penny.

"Besides, we probably got more than enough tickets anyway."

Penny took a look at the rising tide of tickets by Bryce and Tulip's feet and became astounded by how high they were getting.

"No way!"

"Way."

While Penny expressed her amazement, Tulip became curious about what made her go to the prize corner only to be scared as she tried to find out from her before Glad and Sad One added to it.

"Speaking of tickets, what were you even doing over there? Weren't you guys supposed to wait until we got 10,000?"

"Uh-huh. But it was getting boring just watching you guys play all the time. I just wanted to play, too."

"It's true. We even tried to find out what she'd like in the meantime before she screamed like a banshee."

"And we don't use that term loosely."

Tulip looked over to Penny and showed a look of understanding to her as she spoke to her.

"Aw, Penny. If that's what you wanted, you could've asked us. We totally would've let you."

Penny became a bit doubtful about that as she was shorter than Tulip and Bryce.

"But how? I'm not as big as you guys..."

Tulip quickly had the answer for that as it was literally in front of her face.

"Maybe not. But who said we can't give you a lift?"

Penny then began to realize the position she was in and how easier it is to see the screen and reach the joystick for her now. Maybe she wouldn't be bored after all.

"Hey... You're right!"

Seeing Penny's mood change to a happier one, Tulip gave her a smile as her older brother checked with her.

"So, you still wanna play an arcade game?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay. Which one do you wanna try?"

Penny then looked at the long list of arcade games that Tulip and Bryce played before. A lot of them were colorful and appealing to her, so it was difficult for her to choose. Stumped as she was, Penny immediately took notice of one arcade game that seemed satisfying for her. And as luck would have it, it was none other than Space Invaders.

"Oh! How about that one?!"

Bryce was honestly surprised that she'd go for this arcade game. But all the same, he's just relieved that she wasn't freaking out.

"Space Invaders? Good choice, Penny."

With a cautiously optimistic smile, Bryce turned to Tulip as he checked with her.

"How about it, Tulip? Wanna play one more game with us?"

"Maybe later. Just gotta get the key first. I'll be right with you then."

"Okay. Suit yourself."

With that, the two of them went over to Space Invaders as Tulip watched before getting the tickets that he and Bryce earned with their last game with Atticus and One-One following her. As she gave Bryce a glance of longing while she walked away, Atticus and One-One made a smirk towards her, which didn't go unnoticed despite the ticket mountain she held in her hands before she tried to find out why.

"Okay, guys. What is it?"

"You really like Bryce, don't you?"

Tulip's face began to blush from Atticus' query for a moment before she replied.

"Okay, yeah. So what?"

Immediately, One-One's Glad side began to make a chant in anticipation as he got excited.

"Ooh! Bryce and Tulip underneath a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"One-One!"

"Oh. Did you not like the song, Ms. Tulip? I thought it was a good one."

Tulip could tell that One-One didn't mean to go that far. He must've mistaken it as one of the songs of love since she tried to find out what song was the right one in that Crystal Car.

"One-One, I don't think you get what that song is used for."

Atticus then piped up to share his opinion to Tulip on her relationship.

"Well, there'll be no judgment from me. I myself had an unrequited love from this silent beauty."

As Atticus motioned to the toy Golden Retriever, Tulip looked in confusion to it and wasn't sure if she had the heart to tell him, no matter how odd it was.

"Yeah... right..."

"Besides, the two of you have been through a lot together these past couple of months."

"Well, it's not like I had a choice, but... he has been there for me when I needed him. I... I just wish I had something to show him how much he meant to me."

One-One quickly had a solution for that as he recalled what he saw in the prize counter with Penny before.

"There's an easy fix for that, Ms. Tulip. I saw a diamond ring in the prize counter. Maybe we can use our tickets to get that."

Tulip's blush became deeper from the mere thought of that as she tried to refuse.

"I didn't mean a marriage proposal, One-One. We're just too young to go for that sort of thing. Besides, we're saving those tickets for that... KEY!"

Much to Tulip's horror, she noticed that the key was missing from the prize counter and tried to find out where it had gone from Fred as she looked up to him.

"Uh, excuse me? Do you know where that key is?"

"Certainly. That kid with the hoodie has it."

When Tulip looked over to the person of interest, she noticed a boy with white-blonde hair and a grey jacket on him playing on an arcade game as he had a key that had the infinity symbol keychain set up near the controls. He looked like he was having the time of his life on it. That made Tulip a bit flustered over this as she grunted while she marched over to the boy with Atticus being mindful about her temper as he tried to calm her down.

"Now, Tulip. Let's be reasonable about this. I'm sure he doesn't know what it's for."

"Well, he's going to! Hey, you! Why'd you have to go and steal our—!"

When the boy turned around to face Tulip, she instantly stopped her frustrated words. Believe it or not, she knew that face from anywhere. And the fact that he's at the train as well came as a shock for her. She stood still, frozen like a block of ice as the boy showed a confused look before Sad One explained.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Give it a minute."

After a while, Tulip vented her excitement on him as she spoke quickly.

"Oh, my gosh! You're the Bobmaster!"

This made the boy gasp dramatically before he spoke to her in surprise.

"How did you guess?!"

"I watch your videos all the time! Your game playthroughs were so cool, I even tried to go in Game Design!"

This made the boy smile at the thought of someone watching his videos as he spoke to her.

"Game Design, huh? Sounds pretty legit."

"I know, right?!"

Seeing the interaction between the two, Atticus became a bit confused towards it as he leaned his head before he spoke to her.

"You... know this gentleman, Tulip?"

Seeing the confusion, the boy felt that introductions are in order, though he couldn't help but feel impressed by Tulip's entourage as he spoke to them.

"Oh, no way! A talking dog? Wow, this train is so rad! But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I gotta introduce myself. You can call me... the Bobmaster!"

The boy added an echo of his own to his title before he proceeded onwards.

"But you can call me Bobby."

Tulip then took the liberties of the introduction as she and Atticus spoke to him.

"And I am Tulip. And this is One-One."

"And I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes."

"Whoa. I figured you were a king with that crown on your head."

"Well, uh, yes. That's part of what makes me a king."

"Cool, cool. Are these all your friends?"

This made Tulip remember the people who went with her as she looked over to see Penny, having just won a game with Bryce as she held onto the tickets in anticipation before Tulip turned back to Bobby.

"Oh, not all of them. I got a couple of people with me, too. Come on. I'll show you."

When all of the tickets were out, the total was a meager 200. It was in opposition to the large numbers that he and Tulip got from the others, but for Penny, it was an achievement on its own. Bryce looked over to Penny as he spoke to her with a smile.

"Wow, Penny. Not bad for your first game."

"Thanks for helping me learn how to play!"

"You're welcome."

In that moment, Tulip, Bobby, One-One, and Atticus went over to the two of them as she spoke to Bryce.

"Hey, Bryce! I found someone super cool you should meet. His name's Bobby, otherwise known as... the Bobmaster."

As Tulip made an echo of his name, Bobby became impressed with Tulip made the introduction as he spoke.

"Hey, that's a cool echo."

"Thanks. And Bobby, this is Bryce. My, uh, boyfriend."

This made Bryce give a blush from what Tulip referred to him as, making Bobby take notice of it as he began to show his surprise.

"Wait. That guy's your boyfriend?"

Tulip then began to blush at this as she responded back.

"Uh, yeah."

At first, Bobby didn't seem convinced as he put his fingers on his chin, but then he decided to move on as he spoke before Bryce tried to confirm that she really knew this guy.

"Okay, cool. Whatevs."

"Tulip, do you know this guy?"

"Well, not per se, but I do watch his videos. See, he had this cool video channel about video games that gave some hints and cheat codes."

Sad One was no particular fan of this as he interjected.

"I don't like cheats. They're too easy..."

Tulip then looked over to Bobby and became eager to speak about him as she continued.

"Anyway, I watched his videos all the time back home. But, for some reason, he hadn't updated his videos in a long time. So I was afraid he'd kicked the bucket."

"Pfft! As if that would ever happen."

Bobby then looked over to Penny as she held on to her tickets while he spoke about how cute she looked.

"Aw. And who's that little girl? She looks so cute."

In spite of the compliment, Penny was a little cautious around him before Bryce responded to Bobby.

"That would be my little sister. She's usually shy around people she hasn't met before."

This made One-One recall a moment when Bryce and Tulip first met as his Glad side spoke up.

"That's true. In fact, when they met, Ms. Penny here once viewed Ms. Tulip as a mean, old monster. Rawr!"

As One-One began to pretend to be a dinosaur, Bobby couldn't help but find it funny as he laughed while Tulip began to get embarrassed as she spoke to One-One before Bobby reassured her.

"One-One...!"

"Ah, it's okay, Tulip. No judgment here."

Comfortable as it made Tulip, she decided to move on before One-One embarrasses her further.

"Yeah. Anyway, um, we were looking for a key to unlock the door so we could, you know, move on from the car and find a way back home. So, uh, is it okay if we can use it to unlock the door? Please?"

Bobby gave it some thought as he held his fingers on his chin, brushing it softly before he came to a verdict.

"Hmm... I guess I'll let you use it... if you can beat my high score."

Taken in by a challenge, Tulip was caught off-guard by Bobby's sudden challenge as she tried to make sure she heard what he said.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. If you want this key, you gotta prove your worth. And the only way to do that is to beat my high score. Or for short, 'I bet you guys can't beat my high score.'"

"Okay. In what game?"

Bobby had a look of confidence over him as he spoke it's name.

"Ms. Pac-Man."

Surprising as the challenge was, Tulip didn't get as fazed by it as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay. Then I win."

It threw Bobby off-guard as his face began to show confusion.

"Huh? But we didn't even start yet."

"Didn't have to. I got the #1 ranking in Ms. Pac-Man when I started playing."

"What? No way! You gotta be bluffing!"

To verify her word as false, Bobby looked at the high score panel on Ms. Pac-Man, finding her score of 2,500,000 by the name "TLP" over "BOB" which held a score of 2,000,950, much to his alarm before Bobby whispered in shock.

"Impossible...!"

"Sorry. I was just focused on getting the tickets for the key."

Bobby was struck with awe over how Tulip managed to beat his high score in that game. But even so, he's still not giving up the key without a fight as Bobby then proceeded to make his bet more specific.

"Well, uh, that's just one of the easier ones. What I meant was, 'I bet you guys can't beat my high score, in, uh... Frogger."

Unfortunately, Tulip got him pegged on that game, too as she showed him her high score of 14 levels while his score was 10 levels.

"Beat that, too."

"Wha— Really? Okay, uh... how about Galaxian!"

"Beat it."

Bobby was beginning to feel threatened as he kept coming up with the names of arcades to stick with and have the edge over Tulip, only to be trumped each time.

"What about Rampage?"

"Beat it."

"Donkey Kong?"

"Beat it."

"Q-Bert?"

"Beat it."

"Even Donkey Kong _Junior_?!"

"Beat it."

"Okay, okay, okay! You may be good on all those games, but there's one I know you haven't played yet. And it's called... TRON."

"Uh, actually..."

"AH, COME ON!"

With Bobby getting closer and closer to a meltdown, he tried to calm himself down as Atticus shared his confusion with the situation to Bryce.

"Okay, Bobby. Get it together."

"Does anyone else feel that this Bobby character is grasping at straws?"

"I guess he really wasn't expecting anyone else to come in and show him up like that. Must be doing a number on him."

By the time Bobby got his act together and took a deep breath, Tulip showed a bit of concern for him.

"Uh, Bobby? Are you okay?"

To answer, Bobby opened his eyes and spoke to Tulip.

"Okay. It's obvious that I'm faced with a worthy adversary right now. So, if you really want that key, you'll have to beat me... in Lazer Tag."

This made the group confused, Tulip especially as it appeared to be an arcade car, not a laser tag car that they've been to before.

"Laser tag?"

"No. Lazer Tag, with a 'z'. If you beat me on that, I'll give you the key."

"But there isn't an arcade game like that in here."

"Who said it was an arcade game?"

* * *

Bobby took the liberty of showing Tulip, Bryce, Penny, One-One, and Atticus to the end of the hall of arcade games. On the side of it was a door that had a sign above it labeled "Lazer Tag". When he opened the door, Bobby introduced a glow-in-the-dark setting comprised of a battle zone with various sniping positions to take one's enemy by surprise, along with some good hiding places, mirrors, and a bright green flag on a rock. And the area they're in was a preparation room for everyone about to go in and those who came out of the match as the laser vests and guns were attached with targets on them to aim for. The size of the room was hard to believe for Tulip, along with how they didn't notice it before while Bryce felt it made sense as to why they couldn't see him before now.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho! There's a laser tag arena?! We didn't know this place was here!"

"Well, it would explain why we haven't seen him earlier."

One-One tried to put on a laser vest and found sadly that there wasn't one hung up on the wall as his glad side turned to Bobby.

"Do they have one-size-fits-all?"

Bobby then proceeded to explain the rules to Tulip as he put on his vest and primed his laser gun.

"Here's how it's gonna go down. The name of the game, is Capture the Flag. Our goal in this game is to, well, find a flag in the game and capture it. The first one that does wins."

"Okay. What are the terms?"

"Well, these laser guns can stun you and freeze your body for Zaria minute if you get hit."

"That's helpful to know, but what are the terms for our bet?"

"Oh, right. If one of you guys get to the flag, I'll let you have the key. But if I win, I get to keep it. Deal?"

It was easily a no-brainer for Tulip. According to the laser tag car, Bryce was the most skilled for that. The key's practically as good as theirs.

"Oh, you're on!"

While Tulip felt more than sure it would work out as she shook his hand, Bryce felt a bit concerned about this offer.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tulip? I mean, I know the arcade is your zone and all, but it's his, too."

"And yet, I beat his high scores on, what, like ten games now?"

"Yeah, you did. And I won't doubt that, but it's no reason to be so overconfident, especially when we're trying to get to the next car. We don't even know how good this guy is."

"Relax, Bryce. We've played Laser Tag before. It'll be a piece of cake."

Confident in her abilities, Tulip took off her backpack and set it against the wall before she put her laser vest on as Bryce still showed his concern towards her.

"Somehow, I'm not too sure about that."

Bryce then looked to Penny as she put her own laser vest on with Tulip's help before she rubbed her head and made her smile before she went over to Bobby as Penny looked over to her older brother, making her confused before he motioned her to come closer with his finger. Penny then walked over to Bryce as she wondered what was on his mind.

"What is it?"

"You might want to stay with me. Something tells me it won't be like before..."

At the door that led to this new battle zone, Tulip looked to Bobby and showed a smile to him, feeling excited to play by the Bobmaster's side as she spoke to him.

"Hey, Bobmaster. From one gamer to another, if we win this, I hope there's no hard feelings."

"Aw, that's nice of you to think about, Tulip. Except... I'm not gonna let myself lose."

Up on the door, the countdown started with the clock ticking down from ten to nine and so forth. Faced with a possibility of never being able to leave the car, Bryce kept a cautious mind as he kept Penny close to him while One-One and Atticus cheered them on.

"Go laser some butt, Ms. Penny!"

"May you be ever vigilant and bold in the face of combat."

With that, the countdown reached to zero before the group and Bobby went out of the door and into the battlefield. To be sure that nobody had a head start, the lasers were unable to be fired until a full minute had passed to give everyone a chance to hide. It came in especially handy for Penny as she was the youngest of the group that had the least experience, at least compared to Tulip, Bryce, and Bobby. In a hurry, everyone scuffled away to somewhere where they can hide. Well, _almost _everyone.

Tulip had gone to the farthest hiding place to get as close to the flag as she could while Bryce and Penny were set up near the starting point to play it safe, especially since the glow in the dark feature was something that didn't sit well with Penny as it made some things too difficult to see coming. As for Bobby... he only remained where he'd came from the door. It made no sense to Bryce as to why he'd chosen to stay there. He's wide open where he's standing. So, what reason could he have to stay there?

"What are you up to...?"

Bobby waited for some time to pass as he whistled, looking around in one place. Tulip began to feel less and less threatened by Bobby as she looked from him to the flag on the rock as she spoke to herself.

"Huh. The flag's just... sitting right here, and... so is Bobby. I... guess it wouldn't hurt to try and grab it."

Cautious with how much time is left before the guns are active, Tulip made a break for the flag, though still under cover as Bobby looked at the timer on his gun going down as he counted accordingly.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

The timer reached zero on the charge before his gun came online and he gave a smirk.

"Showtime."

Bobby then eyed a mirror up above him which slanted itself to show Tulip, who had a small glimmer of green from her white shirt inside her jacket sneaking by before he quickly pulled the trigger, firing a green laser with a mighty "pew!", making Tulip caught off-guard before she looked to where it came from. The laser then reflected towards Tulip, making her take a leap away when she noticed the laser headed toward it in its view before the laser was reflected off of it. In her leap away, the laser missed Tulip and her vest as she panted before looking to the mirror.

"Okay. Maybe I'll be keep an eye out for those mirrors."

Meanwhile, Bobby continued forward from where he stood and made his journey to the flag with a casual walk. While he did so, he seemingly remained unaware of Bryce aiming for his vest. He now knew for certain that this was Bobby's territory. He had to have practiced a lot in this place to get this good. Even Tulip must know that by now. So good, in fact, that he couldn't help but get worried as Bryce spoke softly to Penny.

"Penny, when I say it's time to run, you run to Tulip, okay?"

"Huh? But why?"

"I've got a plan."

With that, Bryce began to whisper in her ear. As Penny listened in on his plan, it began to make sense to her, though Bryce had to check to be sure she understood while he zipped up her pink jacket to hide her white shirt that would otherwise draw more attention to herself.

"Think you can handle that by yourself?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Now go when I tell you to, okay?"

"Okay."

Bryce then put the focus back on Bobby as he looked back to see him getting one step closer to the flag. But Bryce still didn't budge. He's waiting for the right moment to catch him off-guard. And he needed Penny for that as he saw Bobby take the step he needed to guarantee it before taking the shot as he assumed the sniper position and saw Bobby as a literal walking target as his jacket practically illuminated him in the green light from the glow in the dark. The instant Bobby took another step closer, Bryce saw his opportunity to attack as he fired his laser gun before Bobby anticipated and rolled away before assuming a counter position in a crouch as he spoke.

"Ha! Nice try!"

When Bobby fired his gun, Bryce quickly dodged as he ducked before firing at him again, forcing Bobby to get to the nearest corner for him to maintain his position while Bryce turned to Penny.

"Go, Penny!"

With a determined nod, Penny ran away from the gunfire, but was unfortunately spotted by Bobby as he shouted at her.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

Before Bobby could fire, Bryce went in front of her and shot at him, forcing him to duck before turning to Penny, who looked on in concern as he spoke.

"Go. I'll cover you, Penny."

Penny nodded to her brother before traversing the neon glow of the laser battleground with Bobby too preoccupied by Bryce to go after her. Penny kept on running and running until she was certain that Bobby wasn't following her. In her rest, she was able to catch her breath, but her respite didn't last long.

The neon glow in the her hiding place began to change and darken to a barren wasteland with the grass turned to grey. To top it off, the machine in the center of said wasteland was showing a sign of a skull with crossbones behind it, making Penny worried before she looked at the ground to see undead hands stretching out from the ground, making her scream as she tried to get away from them.

Penny ran away from the hands that rose from the ground until she suddenly tripped on the ground, finding out that her leg was caught by a hand, making her panic as she got out her laser gun and fired it at the hands to get them to release her, but it was to no effect, mainly because those lasers were meant to hit the vests. The next thing Penny acted on was to bash her weapon at the hands to get it to let go of her, but it still wouldn't budge. Then, she tried to pull her leg free, but its grip was too strong for her to break. More hands then burst out of the ground to pull her down as it got to her jacket and her arms. All Penny could do was squirm in their grip as she called out for someone, _anyone, _to help her.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The only answer that came to her plea was the Boogeyman who'd captured her before as his teeth grinned wickedly at her while his rusted visor cast a reflection of Penny's terrified face over it before his claws grabbed her and began to shake her back and forth as its distorted voice laughed at her, taunting her as he spoke to her coldly.

_You couldn't do a thing to save the people you love. Least of all, your family..._

Penny was utterly terrified to come face-to-face with the Boogeyman himself, especially when its face was two inches away from her. In her panic, she tried to kick it as far away from her as possible as she shouted fearfully.

"Leave me alone!"

Unfortunately, her kicks weren't enough as the Boogeyman opened its mouth wide before seemingly preparing to devour her whole. All Penny could do was struggle in its grip before she began to hear a different voice from the one about to eat her.

"Penny! Calm down!"

Penny then began to stall her kicking little by little as she began to see Tulip's face instead of the Boogeyman's as the background then turned back into the Lazer Tag arena as she spoke.

"It's me. Tulip."

Seeing her face after what's almost happened to her, along with Bryce being beside her, Penny felt relieved, though she's still worried it was a prelude to something worse as she looked left and right.

"But... but the monster—!"

"Settle down, Penny. You were just imagining things."

While Penny looked left and right more closely, she began to believe her brother's words as her hasty breathing slowed down enough to let her think before she spoke to them with Tulip becoming curious.

"It... it all looked so real..."

"What did?"

Just then, Bobby's voice shouted out to the three of them as he stepped closer and closer to them.

"Hey! I know you guys are hiding back there!"

Tulip then looked to the mirror beside them and saw Bobby as he made a shot before Tulip grabbed Penny with her and ran away from the laser as Bryce followed before they stopped at another hiding place before complaining about a certain factor in this game that's overpowered while Penny felt more concerned about Bobby before Bryce told her how he caught onto her.

"Seriously? What's up with all the mirrors?"

"How did he find us?"

"Uh, Penny, if we can hear you scream like that, he can, too."

This made Penny filled with guilt as she held her head down, trying to apologize for giving them away.

"I'm sorry..."

Seeing her sad face, Bryce tried to help her feel better as he spoke gently to her.

"Hey, Penny. Don't worry about it. It's okay."

Penny was beginning to get sick and tired of hearing that. She knew that he meant well, trying to make her feel better, but with what she's going through lately, it's practically pointless. Despite what he's trying to say, she knew otherwise.

"No, it's not. _Nothing _is okay. I... _I'm _not okay!"

With Penny nearly yelling with her voice, Bobby overheard this and shouted to them.

"Aha! Thought you could get away, did you?"

Bobby then began to shoot at them where he heard the shout with the group forced to take cover as they ducked in their spot before Bryce decided to fire back to force him in his spot, too.

"You guys go ahead without me! I'll catch up!"

Bryce then continued to hold back Bobby as he then shot him in his vest, triggering it to freeze his body still just as Bryce ended up in that same predicament with his vest being hit as well, much to the two's frustration as they grunted, trying to move, only to find that they couldn't as one looked to the other.

"Well-played, sir."

"Yeah. You, too."

The two of them were at a literal standstill as Bryce inquired of Bobby about something after a moment.

"So, uh... how long have you been playing 'Lazer Tag'?"

"I'd say bout two months."

"Huh."

* * *

Meanwhile, once they got to a safe hiding place that's close to the flag by just a stairway, Tulip tried to find out what she meant by that.

"What do you mean you're not okay? What's going on with you?"

"I've been having nightmares all day! For some reason, everything I look at reminds me of that Boogeyman! He's been telling me all the time that it's my fault my family is gone!"

Tulip was flabbergasted to hear such a thing from Penny, especially what that Boogeyman said about her. It reminded her very much of what she talked about with Bryce before they got in this car in the first place. And as much as she didn't want it to, it made sense why Penny pushed her in that Turtle Car as she spoke to Penny sympathetically.

"Penny, was any of what he told you true?"

Penny took a sniffle as her tears started to come out of her eyes as she tried to answer.

"It might as well be. They gave themselves up so that I could be safe. They're gone because of me..."

As Penny started to cry, her tear ducts were halted when Tulip held her close as she spoke to her softly, trying to help her understand the apparent situation differently.

"Penny... that's just not true. Your mom and dad, whatever happened to them... they had to have loved you so much for you to be here with us. I should know. Even when they got divorced, my parents still loved me. And I... I never got to tell them how much it meant to me..."

With Tulip under the threat of crying herself, she forced herself not to do so in front of Penny, to pass off as strong for her sake as she continued trying to speak to her.

"The point is, even when it feels like things could've been better, you can't change the past, no matter how much you want to. But you... You can try to do something to make your life better than how it was before, however it happened. Okay?"

This made Penny feel a bit better as she rubbed her eyes to get rid of her tears before she smiled to her.

"Okay."

Tulip then began to hug Penny as she wrapped her arms around her gently. At that point, however, she noticed Bobby was able to move again as well as Bryce with the latter behind as Bobby was gaining on them before she put herself and Penny in a corner to hide from Bobby, only for the girl to feel slightly squashed between her and the corner as she whispered.

"What is it?"

"It's Bobby. He's catching up to us. That guy's really good. Honestly, I shouldn't expect anything less from the Bobmaster, but still..."

This made Penny speak up to her as she recalled what her older brother told her.

"It's okay. Bryce told me the plan."

"Huh? What plan?"

Penny began to whisper in Tulip's ear, making her widen her eyes before she understood what she had in mind.

"Oh. That's actually a good plan. I just hope it works..."

Not much later after that, Bobby caught up to the flag and saw a couple of staircases leading up to it. While he felt the need to celebrate, the Bobmaster also felt it best to play it safe as he walked to one staircase cautiously. In that moment, Tulip took the opportunity to jump out and surprise him with her laser at his vest, forcing him to dodge quickly with ease before he got his laser gun out in retaliation to shoot at Tulip, only for her to jump right at it with her arms out before it hit her squarely on one of the pads. Unfortunately for him, Tulip was still headed straight for Bobby before she dogpiled him to the ground with Tulip's body pinning him to the ground much to his immediate surprise.

"What the heck was that?!"

With the opportunity in place, Tulip shouted to Penny for her to seize it.

"Hurry, Penny! Go for it!"

Penny then emerged from her corner and went up the stairs, much to Bobby's fear as he shouted.

"No way!"

Bobby then tried to lift Tulip off of him with his hands before setting her on the ground in her exact position before reaching for his laser gun and aiming it at Penny to fire before Bryce got Bobby by surprise as he went up in front of him, only to get shot in one of his pads before he ended up frozen in a position that looked down on him, making Bobby frustrated as he tried to go around Bryce, but he was completely in the way. With Penny getting closer and closer to the flag, Bobby's desperation rose to fever pitch, forcing him to use Bryce's arm as a sniper mount, much to Bryce's concern as he shouted to Penny, though he couldn't turn his face to tell her directly.

"Penny, look out!"

When Penny looked to see Bobby, he pulled the trigger as his laser went for her. With the laser bullet drawing near her, Penny saw no other choice but to leap to the flag with her hand out to grab it before she clutched onto it while getting hit in one of her pads. As a result, Penny was stuck holding onto the flag while the spotlight shone green on it, with her gun monitor saying "WINNER" in green before it let her stand up as the stun effects wore off with the game being over as Penny stood up in surprise. No matter how well thought out the plan was, Penny didn't think she'd be the one to get the flag.

"I... I won?"

While Tulip and Bryce went up to Penny, Bobby was in total shock that a little girl would be the one to win as he spoke dejectedly.

"Aw, for real?!"

Bryce and Tulip then began to lift Penny up to celebrate as they spoke proudly of her.

"Way to go, Penny!"

"You really came through in a pinch for us back there!"

While Penny smiled at their words, Bobby showed an angry face to them, but it quickly subsided to that of admiration to them as he gave a smile and began to walk away. Just as he did so, Tulip and the others took notice of that as she looked to Bryce while the two of them set Penny down.

"Hold on a second, Bryce. It'll be a minute."

Bryce could tell that she must feel bad for not giving Bobby a break as she beat about ten of his high scores here inadvertently.

"It's okay. Take all the time you need."

As Tulip nodded to him, she went off to check on Bobby as he looked over to Penny, wondering what made her so stressed as he recalled how she said she wasn't okay before.

"So, Penny... you said you weren't okay before. How are you feeling now?"

To answer him, Penny looked down to Tulip and gave a soft smile before she replied.

"Better than I've ever been..."

Meanwhile, just as Bobby put his laser vest away and picks up the key which kept in his jacket, Tulip shouted to him to get his attention as he turned his head.

"Bobby!"

"Hmm?"

"Where are you going?"

"Oh. I was just getting the key. You've earned it."

Bobby then handed Tulip the key as she held it in her hands before she spoke to him again.

"Thanks, Bobby."

"Hey, a dude's gotta stick by his bargain, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But... how did you end up on this train?"

It made Bobby puzzled for Tulip to ask that as he looked to her.

"You really wanna know?"

"Well, let's be honest. You're just surprised it took me so long to ask that. I mean, I've been following your super-cool videos. What happened to get you here?"

Bobby was caught a bit off-guard on that matter, but with Tulip taking the time to ask him that, Bobby felt that she really wanted to get to know him as he sighed before he spoke.

"Okay. But I'll warn you, it's pretty heavy."

"Try me."

"Whoa, you're really going for it, huh? Okay. Well... I had a best friend once, when I was younger. But, he was always using me for stuff that makes me look bad or embarrassed me. One day, I just... I got fed up with it and decided not to have friends in real life, but online. It made it easier for me to work on my own channels and stuff, like my playthroughs. It was going pretty good, too, but... one day, someone in school wanted to hang out with me. And I just blew it. And then, this crazy, long train showed up, and... I'm stuck here."

Having listened to his story, Tulip felt pretty bad for Bobby to go through all that despite his popularity. Then, she recalled when he made that bet. The fact that he was quickly grasping at straws really showed he desperate he was, but now, she realized that desperation wasn't towards the key. It was them...

"That's why you made that bet. You wanted to spend some time with someone, to have a friend."

"Yeah. Funny how that worked out, huh?"

As Bobby spoke in sarcasm, Tulip then had an idea to fix that as she got out her phone before taking a picture of his face, much to Bobby's confusion as she was typing in the information while he tried to find out what it was about.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"What do you think? I'm you in my phone."

"How come?"

"Well, friends talk to each other on the phone, don't they?"

This made Bobby widen his eyes in surprise for what Tulip is doing for him before he began to smile as he replied.

"You know you're gonna need my number, right?"

"Yeah. I do."

* * *

Later, the red door opened with Tulip, Bryce and Penny at the door while One-One and Atticus were at the Prize Corner as the 13-year-old called to them before Atticus replied back before speaking to the toy Golden Retriever.

"Come on, guys. We gotta go."

"Just a moment, please! My dear, I'm sorry we couldn't be together, but I must bid you farewell. Take care, my beloved."

Atticus then walked over to the others with One-One on top of him before Bobby spoke to Tulip.

"Hey, Tulip! Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Don't worry, Bobby. I won't."

With that, the door began to close as the doorknob switched itself back on before the group headed towards the next car as Bryce spoke to Tulip.

"So, you two are friends now?"

"Yeah. But you don't have to worry. You are my boyfriend."

This made Bryce begin to blush with madness as he made a sheepish laugh.

"Yeah. You're right."

One-One then added his statement as he recalled the prize he suggested to Tulip.

"Oh! That reminds me. We got to pick out a gift to give Mr. Bryce for you, Ms. Tulip."

"Cool. What is it?"

"Just look in your backpack."

While she was initially confused, Tulip looked into her backpack to find a sparkling diamond ring, making Tulip blush just as madly before turning to One-One as she whispered.

"One-One...! We talked about this...!"

Bryce overheard Tulip's words and began to get confused as he spoke up.

"Talked about what?"

"Nothing! Uh, let's go check out the next car!"

"Uh... okay?"

When Tulip opened the door, however, she was immediately taken aback by what she found before the others took notice of it themselves to their horror. It was a barren wasteland with no room for grass, and the sky was utterly blackened by dark clouds with a machine in the center of it holding a cracked monitor of a clear sky, the image glitching in and out. And the buildings appeared to be wrecked and burned through. While Bryce and Tulip were utterly mortified, One-One appeared to be a bit confused with it as his glad and sad sides spoke up before Atticus voices his query.

"What in the world...?"

"Everything here is just... destroyed."

"That's odd. I remember this place being much happier than this."

"The sad past is, it's true."

"Not to mention it's unfit for man or beast. What kind of desolate place is this?"

This car was especially heavy-hitting for Penny as she recognized the layouts of the structure from her recent string of nightmares, however damaged they were. And it was breaking her heart to come to this realization.

"I think... I think it's my home..."


	12. The Forsaken Car

**A/N: Hello. :) Sorry for taking so long to update my Infinity Train fanfic, but I wanted to watch Book 2 for some ideas to add to this chapter. I also saw The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, from which I also drew major inspiration from. And it should be a fair warning that this would be part one of a two-parter for the adventure in Penny's Car. Who knows what mysteries await in this chapter?**

**Act II - Chapter XI: **The Forsaken Car

"I think... I think it's my home."

These words were the last thing anyone expected to hear from Penny, if at all. The bleak, desolate landscape overlooked by a dark cloudy atmosphere with the sun shown to be setting just behind them would've had her scared, or sad at the very least. And the little girl was both afraid and saddened. But it never crossed their minds once that she'd speak those words. Neither Tulip nor Bryce could believe it as the perennial girl tried to confirm it.

"What? Are you serious?"

Penny gave a nod to her sadly for confirmation. Bryce saw her upset before, but it was nothing compared to the sorrow she's showing right now. Tulip was familiar with that in the Arcade Car, but she could swear that it must be getting harder to deal with each time. Neither one of them could comprehend how hurt she must be for her home to be so utterly destroyed. Atticus felt especially sorry for her as they spoke to the poor child, wondering how such a disaster would be possible.

"I am terribly sorry for your loss, Penny."

As Penny smiled sadly to Atticus, One-One's glad side was still confused on how Penny recognized this wasteland while his sad side was stuck on its description.

"But it doesn't make any sense. How can you be so sure this place was your home? It's so... lonely."

"Not to mention desolate, gloomy, melancholic, funereal..."

Before One-One could speak further, Bryce interrupted him, afraid that he'd end up making her sadder than she should be and gently moving his foot in front of One-One before moving him back while keeping him behind his leg before he spoke.

"What he's trying to say is... how do you know it's your home?"

Her nightmares were clarification enough for Penny to recognize this as she replied almost heartbrokenly.

"I _know _it is. Every nightmare I've had, I saw _this. _And every time I see it, I... I..."

Penny was about to cry as tears started to come out of her eyes, but Tulip knelt down to stop it as she comforted her.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't do that, Penny. It's not your fault the car is this way."

"I know. But still... mommy and daddy are gone..."

Not willing to take the pain of seeing her sadness anymore longer, Bryce scooped Penny in his arms and held her with her head on his shoulder as she sniffled sadly.

"Let's just find the exit door and get out of there. You've been through enough already just by looking at it."

With how torn up Penny was becoming, she needed a way to avoid laying eyes on the dismal scenery. And what Bryce suggested seemed to be the only way to do it as Penny sniffled before weakly replying.

"Okay..."

Tulip found it to be a bit difficult as she surveyed the damage from afar. And that was limited to just the city. The forest itself didn't fare any better as there were no grass or live trees to be found.

"But where do we even start looking? This whole car might as well be the size of an entire state."

Looking farther ahead, Bryce could see the ruined city, filled with 20's and 40's Art Deco buildings that lost their once-shining luster with the machine and cracked monitor at the very center. It seemed to be the only thing to stand out, so that was one idea where to look.

"Maybe we won't have to look through all of it. See that machine all the way out there?"

"You mean at the center of that city?"

"Yeah. It's as good a place to start looking as any."

As hopeful Tulip was that it would prove to be the case, the whole journey worth almost two months of their time proved not everything was that simple, and thus, she had her doubts.

"Are you sure?"

"Do we really have a choice?"

The truth was, they didn't. Tulip had to agree with him on that.

"I guess not. Come on, guys."

With that, the group traversed onward through the wasteland and to the city, hoping to find a way out of this car. Yet, the closer they went in this wasteland, the more depressing the setting turned out to be. For instance, the buildings that they walked past, which were mainly consistent of small houses that appeared to be made of hardened clay with open windows, were broken apart with one among them missing a wall, torn out so destructively from itself. And even worse, the treasures inside the house were just as broken.

One example of such was a broken picture of a mother and father, including a small boy beside them, as well as a teddy bear in a broken crib as the side of it that was supposed to secure the child was splintered, appearing as if something or someone broke it. The only good that came out of it was that there was no trace of blood, though that could mean anything. Still, Bryce wasn't sure if Penny wanted to see that as he walked forward before she had a chance to lift her head up from his shoulder. Meanwhile, Tulip was still at a loss about this car's condition, and she wasn't alone.

"I can't believe this... who would just destroy someone's home like this?"

"That's what I'd like to know, Ms. Tulip. I mean, houses aren't supposed to have walls torn open like that."

Glad One's statement made his sad counterpart remember a faint detail from the Turtle Car as he pondered to himself.

"Huh. That feels... vaguely familiar."

"Aw, you know what I mean, One-One. It's just so... heartless."

Atticus couldn't agree more on that. And almost instantly, he thought of only one creature that could do something so chaotic.

"Perhaps it's safe to assume that the monster's attacked this car and made off with its orbs. We saw how destructive the results can be."

Tulip could see his point, but at the same time, she had to disagree. If that were the case, the "ceiling" of this car would be missing. But they weren't. She knew that Penny didn't want to look at it because of how close she was to it, but she still had to wonder if it really was meant to be like this.

"No, Atticus. Back then, the sky outside the train was exposed, but this... this just isn't right. Is it?"

Just then, they began to hear footsteps from far away, causing the group to cease their walking for a moment before they noticed two blank white tall humanoids following them. They each had a big oval energy core that glowed blue in their chests, blue eyes, skinny chrome arms and legs and neck while their hands, feet, chest aera (other than the core in its center), and heads are pure white. Adding to that, the robots have in their right palms of their hands a green pad resembling a hexagon. But their attention was on the figures that walked with them.

They each had a black cloak with spiked visors going over their eyes, almost identical to the Boogeyman that they encountered before (except his was only rusted with no spikes) and one of them carried a sword with a dried red liquid on it. If their fashion sense wasn't a dead-ringer, then the figure's weapon would've sold it. The moment Bryce and Tulip saw this, they immediately assumed the worst as the two of them held their gasp over their hand while Atticus growled in suspicion and One-One began to shake nervously, making Penny curious about what it was that they saw that terrified them as she tried to lift her head to Bryce and spoke softly.

"Huh? What is it?"

As an answer, Bryce shushed Penny quietly. With how dangerous they appeared to be, he didn't think it wise to take any chance with them. When she saw their weapons, Tulip caught onto that logic, too, as they headed to a house just next to them and hid by its corners near an open window before Bryce set Penny down on the ground as she tried to find out why they were making such haste.

"Bryce, what's going on?"

"Shh. Just keep your voice down and look. You'll see."

In another circumstance, Bryce would be against letting her take one more look than she needed to, but she had to understand why they had to be silent. So, Penny peeked from around Tulip's legs and saw the two robots and the river figured, as well as one of the latter group holding a stained sword, making Penny gasp as she widened her eyes before moving back as Glad-One used his six-inch voice.

"I know, right? Why would someone use a sword so dirty? It'll get rusty if it's not washed..."

That wasn't the main concern on Tulip's mind as she shushed One-One, trying to get verifying evidence on where they stand.

"Keep it down. I'm trying to hear what they're saying."

"Oh. Sorry."

With the group silent for the time being, Tulip listened to the conversation as one robed figure spoke to the other that held his weapon of choice about his anger issues.

"You must learn to control your temper, Varicose. We were sent to collect passengers, not spill blood."

Tulip took interest immediately, having never heard that term in this train before.

"Wait. Collect passengers...?"

Hoping to learn more, she continued listening in just as Varicose retorted.

"Nothing is spilled yet, Pike."

"But it doesn't change the fact that you attacked our own passenger. What are you going to say to your comrades about that?"

"I did what was necessary."

"I only hope, for your sake, the Castigator sees it that way."

"The Castigator is forgiving."

As Tulip became more knowledgeable about those figures, mainly who they worked for, Pike showed his uncertainty to Varicose in the form of sarcasm.

"The Castigator...?"

"Of course. If there's one quality the Castigator is known for, it's mercy."

As Varicose and Pike walked with their guards, continuing on in the charred crossroad, Tulip, bearing a look of recognition from hearing that name, turned to the others as Bryce checked with her on what she'd heard.

"How's it look?"

"I think the coast is clear. But... they said something about the Castigator."

This made Bryce worried to hear about it, gasping before her partner wanted to know more about it.

"What did they say about him?"

"Nothing much. But the way they were talking... it sounded like they work for him, whoever he is."

First, Penny's capture in the Boogeyman's car, then her nightmare in the Arcade Car, and now this. How many trials must they have to go through before they get back home? The rate they're going, they might actually end up dead before they even get the chance to see the Conductor. But as much as it worried him, Bryce wasn't going to let that happen.

"Okay. That's good to know. We'll just have to stay away from those guys, get to the city, and find the exit door. Maybe they won't even notice us."

"But what if they do?"

Bryce made it vividly clear as he got out his cubed sword in preparation for the worst-case scenario.

"Leave that to me."

While Bryce came up with the plan, however, Penny began to hear... giggling? It sounded like it came from a woman. But how? Was there anyone left out in this wasteland after all? That was one question she wanted to know the answer to as she wondered if the others caught on to the sound.

"Did you hear that?"

Tulip was the first to ask her of it, because unlike Penny, she didn't hear that giggling.

"Hear what?"

"I heard... laughing."

Bryce tried his best to locate the sound with his ears, looking left and right for any sign of it, but sadly, there were none to hear.

"That's weird. I don't hear anything."

Even Atticus had no luck as he spoke up to the girl.

"Nor I. Even my exceptionally large ears didn't pick up anything."

"But if you guys can't hear it, then how come I can?"

To answer her, the laughing became louder behind the wall they hid from, making Penny turn her head to the wall before she spoke in shock, expecting the others to have heard it that time.

"There it is again! And it's in that wall!"

With how high her volume was starting to become, Bryce shushed Penny, reminding her of the minions of the Castigator as he whispered.

"Keep it down. Do you want those guys to find us?"

"Sorry. But I was sure I heard something that time."

On one hand, Bryce felt it more important not to draw attention where it's not needed. But on the other, Penny's had a hard time, too. Maybe that was why she's hearing things. He just couldn't comprehend what could be going on in her head. In any case, they needed a better spot to hide than behind a building. It wasn't a permanent solution, but hopefully, it'll last long enough for them to find a way around those fiends and to the exit door.

"It's okay. But just keep your voice down until it's safe. Right now, we just need to find a better place to hide until we find the way out."

Fortunately, Atticus was on top of that as his glad side spoke up to them, pointing to the open window of the building they hid behind, much to One-One's glee.

"Perhaps we should hide in that house? It'll be much safer in here than out in the open."

"Of course. We can hide _and_ find out what voice Ms. Penny heard. Two-for-one!"

On Bryce's standpoint, he hardly found the voice important to him, but if it was bugging his sister, he had no choice but to go along with it, if for not other reason than to help her move on.

"Whatever works, I guess. Just as long as we leave soon..."

The group then go inside the house via the open window with Atticus hopping through the window as Tulip picked up One-One before going in through it. After which, Bryce followed Tulip before stopping to hold his hands out for Penny to pull her in next. Once they were inside, Bryce looked to the others and tried to speak to them.

"Okay. Now that everyone's in, we just need to come up with a—"

Before he could finish, Penny and Bryce heard a loud whine that they didn't expect to hear. And they recognized the voice, for it came from...

"Atticus?!"

"Hold on, buddy. We're coming!"

The two of them were quick to assume the worst as they ran over to where they heard his panic. When they came in the living room, they began to notice the evidence of the chaos that took place and became shocked at the sight of it all. To list many examples, the carnage consisted of broken glass on the floor, along with torn curtains that let what little sunlight remained in the house, and broken shelves that appeared to be chopped in two. And he thought it couldn't make him feel any worse. But alas, the sights of many homes being destroyed, inside and out, proved him wrong once again. Then, they heard Atticus' whining again before they looked down to see Tulip and One-One beside him as the former was using her travel gear that held many gadgets, one of which included pliers that aimed to remove that which ailed Atticus: a piece of glass stuck in his paw.

"Hold still, Atticus. It's not gonna get off if you keep moving."

"But the pain... it's too unbearable!"

While Atticus writhed, Bryce tried to get the lowdown on what happened as he knelt by Tulip and One-One.

"What happened? We've only been in here for five seconds."

"Atticus got a piece of broken glass stuck in his paw. I'm trying to get it out, but... it's pretty bad."

Sad One took the opportunity to state the situation in his way, already presuming the worst to be most likely to happen.

"Done in by a tiny shard of glass. How fragile."

This made Penny worried for Atticus as she held onto Bryce's jacket and inquired on his fate to Tulip

"What's gonna happen? He's not gonna die, is he?"

Seeing the worry on her face was the last thing Tulip wanted to see. Frankly, she couldn't take it any more than Bryce could. But she knew that Atticus wouldn't go down that easily. So, she bore a determined look on her face as she placed her hand on Penny's shoulder.

"No, Penny. He's not. But he still needs help. One-One, go look in the kitchen and see if there's anything that can act like a bandage, like-like a paper towel roll or something."

"Okay."

One-One began to roll out of the room and into a hallway left untouched by the chaos before Tulip turned to Bryce.

"Bryce, see if there's a broom and dustpan somewhere and sweep up the broken glass."

"Got it."

Bryce then went to do his duty before Penny looked to Tulip, wondering what she can do.

"But what about me? How can I help?"

"We need to find a way to get Atticus to settle down. I don't blame him, but we can't let those guys hear us."

Atticus whined from the pain as blood started to leak onto the glass shard that got lodged in his paw. She felt bad for the Corgi King and knelt down, trying to think of something to help him. Then, she remembered the song she used to hear before she'd go to bed. It made her more peaceful than anything. She knew it was no Ballad of Mustard and Stinktail, but it has to work.

"Maybe I can sing a song for him."

"A song? Like what?"

"Like the one I tried back at the Crystal Car. It didn't work then, but maybe it can work for him now."

Tulip saw her point in what she's getting at. Though, with his tastes, she's not sure it'd be easy.

"Penny, I get where you're going with this, but—"

"Can I try? Please?"

Tulip began to see Penny's face become more desperate. With a face like that, there's no way for her to brush her off, especially not with what car they're in. She owed it to Penny to let her try. And so, she took a deep breath before she answered her.

"Okay. But if it doesn't work—"

"It _will _work. Trust me."

Penny then looked to Atticus, arranged herself in crisscross position and motioned him to place his front legs on her lap before Atticus spoke in confusion to her.

"A-Are you sure? This piece of glass is still embedded into my sensitive paw."

"It'll be okay. We'll get it out."

Although facing perilous pain at the hands of a tiny dagger of glass, Atticus could see that she's determined to help him. That alone was enough reason for him to trust her.

"Alright. If I must."

Atticus then cautiously stepped over to Penny, keeping his stubbed paw in the air until he laid it over her lap along with his other paw before Penny then began to pet him gently as she began to sing.

"_**Twinkle, twinkle, little star**_

_**How I wonder what you are**_

_**Up above **__**the**__** world so high**_

_**Like a diamond in **__**the**__** sky**_

_**When **__**the**__** blazing sun is gone**_

_**When he nothing shines upon**_

_**Then you show your little light**_

_**Twinkle, twinkle, all **__**the**__** night"**_

As Penny sang the song gently to him, Atticus became soothed by the melody, seemingly forgetting about the pain he's feeling in his paw. During which, Tulip took the opportunity to remove the shard with her pliers, making Atticus whine from the swift pain that returned before Penny soothed him again with one final verse.

"_**Twinkle, twinkle, little star**_

_**How I wonder what... you... are"**_

It was right in that moment when Atticus became comforted again that One-One spoke up as he clapped his stubs while Bryce stood in amazement as to how beautifully she sang such a common nursery rhyme.

"Bravo, Ms. Penny! Encore! Encore!"

Not long after, Bryce began to voice his opinion on her singing.

"Whoa. That was... actually pretty good."

Penny gave a soft smile to her big brother, happy that he appreciated her singing.

* * *

Later afterwards, Atticus' "wound" was tended to with a makeshift cast from a paper towel roll while the paper towels themselves were used in an attempt to help stop the bleeding on his paw. Bryce was the first to admit that he's no vet, but he needed to think of something. And while Atticus recovered with Penny and One-One watching over him, Tulip and Bryce decided to make some changes to their hiding spot. Everything that was destroyed prior to their arrival was moved away, swept up, and taken out. By the time that was done, they'd noticed that the sun, from what they could see beyond the clouds, was setting very soon. This left them no other choice but to make camp for the night before going to find the door for this car. However, that was easier said than done.

Thanks to the clouds above them, the rain that came down their way would completely drench whatever was exposed, including the fireplace as there's no ceiling on that side of the house to hold it at bay, not that a fire was advisable. Sure, it'll keep them warm, but it would also alert those figures they'd seen earlier that day of their presence. That wasn't a chance any of them would dare to take. But with seemingly no way to get warm in this time of night, Tulip and Bryce took it upon themselves to look in the other houses for anything that can help to warm up the house without a fire. The closest thing they found, only after looking through three houses, was a portable heater. It looked a bit more up-to-date than the house it was found in, even before it was destroyed, so it was safe to assume that it must've been made back in the city.

With the heater retrieved, Tulip and Bryce returned to their hiding place, making sure the rain didn't short it out as they shielded it with their jackets hung over it. To their relief, the heater still worked despite the ravaged environment around them. As much as they enjoyed it, though, Bryce couldn't help but wonder why. But before he could try to figure it out, Penny started to get tired after a long day. This made Bryce and Tulip wonder when they ever took the time to rest. Time was difficult to tell on the train, so it was almost impossible to know when to sleep. But tonight, it was made all the more clear to them that they needed to sleep.

That night, sleeping arrangements were easily made as the one bedroom they found was a king-size bed with two nightstands next to it, as well as scattered pillows and blankets. It wasn't the ideal position, but that problem was easily fixed. When that was taken care of, Atticus slept on the bottom of the bed while One-One rested in Tulip's backpack. As for the passengers, they took the bed with Penny sleeping in between them with their jackets laid on the floor. With all that they had been through, it was a nice change of pace as opposed to sleeping in a cave. Tulip was especially happy for that with all the work they put into today as she spoke to Bryce about it.

"Well, that was one heck of a day."

"Yeah?"

"You ought to know, right? I mean, we worked our butts off for those tickets in the Arcade Car. And then, we end up in this... this post-apocalyptic car or something."

The description was admittedly accurate, but Bryce still felt a bit confused at the name as he raised his eyebrow.

"Well, it's still a working name. But anyway, we found this hiding spot under the noses of those guys, patched up this place the best we could do, and we got to sleep in a real bed for once. Pretty exciting, right?"

While it did make Bryce smile, exciting wasn't his words for it.

"I guess. But after the first few weeks, it just doesn't do it for me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just one more day."

"Yeah. Just another day on the train..."

While Tulip began to see his point, she began to get more and more homesick as she remembered every moment she had with her parents. However, in turn, Tulip looked over to the sleeping Penny, knowing that she'd lost her parents. She didn't get to have any memories of her time with them like she did, which only led to another problem. Penny didn't have a number on her hand like her or Bryce. So if they go... what would happen to her? It was scary for her to think on it as she brought it up to Bryce.

"Hey, Bryce?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's weird that we have numbers and Penny... doesn't?"

Hearing Tulip's query, Bryce started to see where it was going. She's worried about how Penny will fare without them. It was strange to see a passenger without a number, of course, but in his mind, he saw no reason why she can't go.

"Yeah. But why should it matter? As long as all three of us get to go, what's the harm?"

This made Tulip curious as she pondered the reason.

"Wait. Three of us?"

"When Penny and I first met, I sorta promised to take her to Chicago with me. Ms. Tabitha seemed really desperate for me to keep it back then. I'm still wondering why, though..."

As Bryce thought back on that moment, he and Tulip began to feel Penny hugging their arms tightly as she moaned in her sleep with tears coming out of her eyes.

"Mommy, daddy... don't go."

Bashful as these two were becoming, Tulip and Bryce decided to help her sleep at peace as they scooched closer to her, putting their open arms together before they spoke with the perennial girl addressing her first.

"Don't worry, Penny."

"We'll never leave you."

The three of them then proceeded to sleep together in peace, warming each other with their company. As they did so, however, they were unaware of a woman in a white jacket watching them from afar with her binoculars before putting them down as she made surprised look on her face beginning to shed a tear before speaking to herself.

"Is that... It can't be..."

Then, the feminine figure felt she should check to make sure no one else had their eyes on her, looking left and right from above before she turned to the city and noticed that the figures in black robes were walking to it, making her relieved.

"Doesn't look like they noticed them yet. Maybe I should take them with me while I can, take them somewhere safe. Then I'll go save the others, wherever they are in that place. But... how do I get in?"

The feminine figure seemed to get stuck on that problem, looking to her open hands, showing no number on either one before looking down to the group. As they slept, she noticed that Tulip and Bryce's hands were glowing green, which easily meant one thing.

"Those passengers... maybe they can help me get in. But, if I bring her into this..."

The figure had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, she wanted to get in the city and help those trapped inside. But on the other, she'd also put Penny at risk of what would happen next, most likely retaliation. The figure looked back down to Penny, seeing her snuggled close to them. This gave the figure a warm feeling as she looked to one of the passengers beside her and gave a smile as she decided to come up with another plan to get in the city.

"Sorry. But I have to find another way in. Just keep looking after her, Bryce."

She then jumped off the tree and began to look to the city, where the storm seemed to be the strongest as lightning struck at the city, lighting it up as rain poured heavily on it.

"I've got work to do."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pike and Varicose entered in the city with their robot bodyguards beside them, stopping at a gate manned by a robot just like theirs as it turned to them and spoke in a deep mechanical voice.

"May I see your number, please?"

In response, Pike and Varicose held out their hands, showing them to be going at least the length of their wrist as it was shown in the sleeves of their cloaks. After scanning them, the robot beeped a confirmation signal before speaking to them again.

"Access granted. Please enter."

The gate then lifted itself up as they walked into the city, shown to be in as much discord as the outskirts. The once-colorful Art Deco buildings of the city were now grey, broken, and melancholic. All the while, the landscape altogether seemed empty save for a few occasional lightning bolts that strike the buildings' lightning rods when this kind of weather approaches. It wasn't necessarily safe for them with their spiked, metal visors on them. Hazards aside, it was their kind of place to be as far as they were concerned. Yet, it's what goes on under the surface that's the main priority. And Varicose spoke of this to his partner as they drew closer to the building at the center of the city.

"Shame we couldn't find any passenger today, or the Renegade for that matter."

"Perhaps it's for the best. In the last week, we had a dungeon full of them for repurposing. And many more are still waiting to be broken... and then reformed."

Varicose only grunted with pleasure at this as he responded.

"The rate we're going, the Scarecrows would be through with Passenger hunting by this time next week."

"That is a possibility. But, of course, there's... the Conductor."

"Bah! Enough with the Conductor! All those stories are rumors, nothing more!"

"Then why would we need an army for our society? Did you at least think on that once?"

"I did. I assumed we were preparing for war."

Pike then pushed a button on the door in front of him before it opened, revealing the inside of a building to be a waiting room of sorts with grey, marbled floor and walls before they walked further into the building to the elevator in front of them. Once inside, Pike pushed a button that had a hexagon symbol before the elevator took them down as he continued to converse with Varicose.

"Of course you did. I can tell you now that it won't happen in the near future. We still have the Renegade to worry about. She rescues half as many passengers as we take, and they're all children."

Varicose then stated his discontent in the lack of fighting this Renegade thereof.

"Hmm. Truth be told, I was looking forward to fighting her to the death."

"I told you before. We're sent to collect passengers, not to spill blood, least of all the Renegade's."

"Why not?!"

"We have our orders, Varicose. If we were told to dispose of her, and believe me, I wish we were, that would be different."

"But she's a plague upon the Scarecrows _and _to our way of life!"

"Agreed. But let's not forget what truly holds our power."

Just then, the elevator doors opened to reveal a white room with the lights turned off, and with the only thing glowing being a dark purple cube which floated by itself behind a glass wall just slightly above its panel. And just behind that wall were many others like Pike and Varicose as they all wore the similar visors and cloaks. As they approached it, Varicose spoke of its name before Pike gave out the details.

"The cube of creation."

"Yes. It is linked to this car. And as long as we have reign over it..."

"We have reign over this car."

"Exactly. Maintaining charge over the cube of creation. That's what the Scarecrows have always done for these six years. And if need be, we'll maintain charge for 600 more."

As Varicose and Pike drew closer to the cube, the former became perplexed at how this takes priority over the Renegade.

"So what? How is this thing more important than the Renegade? Not all of what we've captured will submit because of her."

"That's why we need to assimilate this cube. To ensure total control over this cube is to show those rebellious passengers that the answer to a blissful life isn't in the light, but instead... in the dark."

As the two of them joined the others, one of the figures being a more feminine figure whose spiked visor was tilted up to reveal her eyes, spoke out to them as she was losing her patience.

"There you two are. I was beginning to think we'd have to start the show without you."

Varicose growled at her comment before Pike halted his violent outcome before he spoke rationally.

"Promptness always comes nearly short when placed with passenger hunting, Carper. But that is not the point. All that matters is that we are right on time."

The cube then began to shine its light on the figures as its dark purple color glowed brightly and levitated above its cube-shaped panel. And in that moment, two metal arms came out of the walls and began to spark blue electricity from each of them. The arms then drew closer to the cube and the lightning began to attach themselves onto the cube before their colors turned dark purple just like it, causing the figures to become hopeful about the results as they widened their mouths in a state of wonder.

However, quickly following this, the cube began to glow much more brightly before it sent a powerful shockwave that shook the room, causing them to fall to the floor and brace the short earthquake that occurred as a result. Not long after that, the machinery died down as the cube fell back in its panel and dimmed before the group recovered in relief and bitter disappointment as Varicose growled.

"The cube fails us once again."

Another figure, one that sounded more angry in his tone, felt it was to be expected.

"Well, what did you expect? There's been no change yesterday, no change the day before. Et cetera, et cetera!"

Carper felt it was getting old herself as she concurred with him.

"For once, I agree with you, Cain. Why does this keep happening?"

Another figure felt it was obvious as he spoke in a flustered fit.

"Isn't it plain as day? Just look at it! It's obvious that we've taken too much out of it! Pure gluttony! That's what this is!"

In response to his theory, another robed figure, one that had the addition of bandages wrapped around his hands and metal claws over even that, growled as he marched into the room.

"Pathetic!"

Hearing the sound of his voice, the Scarecrows all turned to see him and were in total shock as Carper spoke his name in such surprise

"Castigator!"

"You sound like frightened children! That's not the way of the Scarecrows!"

Pike felt it was good reason to worry as he spoke back to him.

"But Castigator, if the cube will not assimilate, our way of life will die!"

This was something the Castigator didn't wish to hear as he stomped his foot on the ground with a loud thud before he countered his point.

"We have nothing to fear. Already a solution lies within Tinkerer's very grasp. Is that not so?"

Then, another robed figure spoke up in agreement with him as he confirmed it.

"Our mighty Castigator speaks true. I am hard at work on this troublesome inconvenience, yes."

The robed figures all began to feel better with his words as they began to murmur in agreement before Castigator spoke out to them again.

"Patience. We are the Scarecrows. We have ruled for an age, and will rule for all ages yet to come, whether through us or our descendants. We. Are. Eternal!"

While the Castigator shouted in triumph, the Scarecrows joined in with their own revelry before it died down as he spoke.

"Now, go to your quarters. You'll receive new orders in the morning."

The Scarecrows began to exit the room all at once as Pike went with the figure who called their actions gluttonous as he spoke.

"Well, the Castigator is wise."

"Of course, Stockwell. He always has been."

The Castigator then recalled Pike and Varicose's assignment as he spoke to them, earning their attention as they turned to him.

"That reminds me. Pike, Varicose, report to the top floor. There's... another important matter to discuss."

Varicose then took a bow while Pike nodded.

"Yes, Castigator."

Varicose then proceeded to go inside the elevator with the others. However, Tinkerer had something else worrying on his mind as he went to his leader.

"Castigator! Castigator!"

To keep him from shouting any further, Castigator turned to him with an annoyed tone.

"Yes, what?"

"I... I would not dare question your wisdom. But you know I have found no solution. The cube is the heart of this car. They are one and the same. But the more we try to assimilate it, the more it resists. All our survival is at stake!"

This struck a nerve in Castigator as he clutched his neck with his clawed hand before he spoke viciously.

"So, find a solution. I did not build an empire over this car's ashes only to watch it turn to dust!"

Then, as quickly as he grabbed him, he dropped Tinkerer before Castigator marched away from him with a grumble, leaving him frightened as he spoke.

"I will find the answer, Castigator. You will see! I will not fail you! I WILL NOT FAIL YOU!"

With Castigator going up on the elevator, Tinkerer's been given no other alternative than to get started right away. As he said, all their survival is at stake. That means it's all riding on him to make sure the cube can assimilate itself with the car. For that is a stepping stone to total dominion of the Scarecrows. And Tinkerer intends to deliver just that as he looked down upon his hand, still trembling from what Castigator almost did to him. Like a frightened child... This infuriated him as he growled into a short yell before slamming it on the wall before reprimanding himself.

"Pull yourself together, you groveling guarantor! This is... this is nothing. Just a minor setback in a major operation. Truly great minds are always unappreciated in their time. But every problem obfuscates a solution... waiting to be discovered. But as always, it will be clear through trial and error. For instance, this only proved that if the cube can't assimilate itself with excess energy, then I must provide it with another source. But what?"

As he tried to come up with the solution, Tinkerer heard a woman's voice speaking from behind him.

"Uh, master?"

Tinkerer turned behind him to see a woman with long, light brown hair in a black robe similar to his before turning to her.

"Hmm?"

"Is there any way I can help?"

As he looked to her, Tinkerer began to get an idea forming in his head as he stroke his chin.

"Hmm... there is one thing."

* * *

The next morning, Penny was still sleeping ever so gently in the bed. At least, she was until she yawned and started to wake up. Her vision was blurry but she could hear the sound again. It was the same giggling she heard last night. But it seemed to be more interactive with her.

"Did you sleep okay, Lucky Penny?"

This confused the girl as she gave a "Huh?" in response as she rubbed her eyes.

"Who are you?"

While Penny's vision returned, the voice poked fun at her until it cleared up to show the same woman with long, light brown hair, only she was not wearing any clothes save for the blanket over her chest as she spoke with a giggle.

"Come on, Penny. You know who I am. It starts with an 'm'..."

The moment Penny laid eyes on her, she became overcome with joy as she practically leaped out of the bed to jump into her as she shouted.

"MOMMY!"

Penny quickly wrapped her arms around her hourglass waist as she made a giggle of relief while her mother brushed her hair back gently.

"Yep. That's me."

Penny saw no point in holding back her tears. Not once in her life did she ever think she'd be able to see her again. It truly was a miracle for her. But her mother took notice of her sobs and felt worried about it as she inquired softly to her.

"Hey, Penny. What's the matter?"

"I... I thought you were gone. And daddy, too. I was scared that you'd never come back. But... I'm so happy it didn't happen."

Penny sniffled as her mother gently hugged her though she replied just as sadly.

"Aw, baby... it _did _happen..."

Then, as her words echoed, Penny's mother faded before her eyes, vanishing without a trace as the blanket dropped onto the bed. Once again, Penny was all alone. But even that wasn't the worst of it. She began to hear thunder outside before hopping out of bed and running out to the front door, only to see the machine at the center of the city turning against the people within it as the rain fell down.

She could hear countless screams going on within city limits, like an abominable choir of suffering. But the worst still had yet to come. The rain that fell on her began to burn as she felt it getting hotter, even singing her hand as she yelled before retreating back in her house. However, in doing so, she was face-to-face with the Boogeyman again, making her gasp as he spoke maliciously towards her whilst raising his claw.

"Your time is up."

The Boogeyman then swiftly brought down the claw on her.

Only Penny's shrill shriek was enough to jolt Bryce, Tulip, and the others awake as they woke up with a start and began to look left and right for anything wrong as they spoke.

"W-What's going on?!"

"Are you okay?!"

The only answer to their questions was a light sob. They looked down and saw Penny, having just woken up from a nightmare with tears streaming down her face and her eyes turning red.

"Mommy... daddy..."

While Penny mourned for her lost parents, Tulip and Bryce hugged her while she sobbed her heart out as Atticus and One-One, who were stirred awake by the little girl's earlier scream, looked on sadly to them before each other.

* * *

After a while, the crying died down with Penny sitting in front of Tulip and Bryce. She still couldn't sleep after what she saw, especially not since her mother vanished before her eyes so suddenly. She'd explained her whole nightmare to them, and they were immediately heartbroken, Bryce especially. To have someone you love just vanish before your eyes was something they could not bear to think about, let alone dream of it. Penny was convinced she had a solution to that, but Tulip and Bryce already felt concerned with it.

"Penny... We're sorry you saw all that. But..."

"Are you sure staying awake is the best idea?"

"Uh-huh. If I'm awake, I won't have any nightmares."

The plan seemed solid to One-One's Glad side while his sad side voted against it.

"That does make sense. It could work."

"But then, she'll end up getting drowsy, or worse. Insomnia..."

Atticus then voiced his opinion on her plan as well.

"Penny, I understand that you don't wish to see any nightmares, but I must strongly urge you to reconsider."

"Easy for you to say. You're not afraid of anything."

This made Atticus remember a memento in his head before he became awkward about it.

"Actually, there is... one thing."

"Huh? And what's that?"

One-One's sad side took the opportunity to answer for her, much to Atticus' dismay.

"Spoiler alert. He's afraid of vets."

Atticus began to growl at him before he ceased it, took a deep breath, and continued speaking to Penny.

"Okay, perhaps two things. Another thing I'm afraid of is seeing the people I care for get hurt."

"Really?"

"Yes. As king, I face this fear every day. It seemed incredibly daunting at first, but when it came to the people who needed me, they gave me the power I needed to overcome that fear."

Penny became starstruck at how he's managed to face his fear as she spoke elatedly, making Tulip and Bryce smile at her fascination before being confused on the process.

"Wow! That's so cool! But wait... how did they help you face your fear if you're so scared of losing them?"

Atticus gave his answer to Penny as he placed a paw on her lap.

"Because. I didn't have to do it alone. And you don't have to, either."

"I don't?"

Bryce and Tulip agreed with Atticus as they placed their hands gently on her shoulders.

"Of course not. Nobody said you had to."

"We're gonna be right here for you. Always."

Comforting as their words were, Penny still felt fearful for what could happen to them, especially since she began to see the images of her late parents in place of Tulip and Bryce for that one moment. She'd heard those words before from them, but now they're gone. Back then, she didn't think she had to ask that question. Now, it's all she could think of.

"But... but what if you're not? What if you—?"

Before Penny could finish, Tulip interrupted her as she shushed her gently before trying to convince her not to worry.

"It's okay, Penny. It won't come to that."

"How do you know?"

"Well, we're not dead yet, are we?"

Tulip then gave her head a soft noogie, making Penny giggle from this before she replied and Bryce added to her comment.

"No."

"Exactly. We're going to be just fine. Got that?"

Penny maintained her smile as she stared back into Bryce's grinning face before answering him.

"Uh-huh."

"There we go. Now, what do you say we catch up on some sleep?"

"Okay."

With her fears put to rest for the moment, Penny got back in the blanket between Tulip and Bryce before she spoke to them and Atticus.

"Thanks for cheering me up, guys."

Atticus bowed his head to her with a smile as he replied back before going around in a circle and laying down.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad our wisdom was able to soothe you so."

Tulip and Bryce then laid back down on the bed and snuggled themselves closer to Penny as they smiled before the former bade her.

"Good night, Penny."

"Good night."

The three of them then began to sleep beside each other again, along with Atticus who slept in the floor. As One-One attempted to sleep, however, he noticed the gap in Tulip's finger. Normally, it was fine, but for what he had in mind prior to entering this car, it was practically nagging at him. According to Tulip, it was too soon to pull it out. So, much to his anxiety, he's being forced to hold back his eagerness for her to put it on. It worked out so far with today's events, but for One-One, it was going to be a very long time for him as his Sad side spoke up softly.

"Ugh. That ringless finger is going to drive me nuts all night. I know it..."

He then proceeded to go into Tulip's backpack before zipping it.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the city, the Castigator looked over the entirety of the metropolitan area from the main lobby above, watching as lightning struck on its buildings' rods. The room was consistent of an office penthouse, windows showing the whole city to him while a desk and chair was placed just behind it. All the while, Pike and Varicose stood behind him, awaiting his word with anxiety. He hasn't moved or said a word since they arrived. Pike was especially cautious as to what could be going on in his head.

"Uh, Castigator? I assume you've called us for the report on passenger collecting?"

Castigator only raised his hand to shush him. A first sign of movement since they entered the room. At least they knew he wasn't a statue. Then, finally, the silence broke with his voice.

"Beautiful weather, isn't it?"

Varicose had a right to disagree with him concerning risks, but because the rods were in closer proximity of the lightning by height, that issue was taken care of. Varicose then proceeded to respond.

"I suppose..."

"Do you know how this city gets artificial power?"

Pike knew the answer to that and quickly replied.

"Yes. Every billion volts that strike the buildings' rods gets generated into power."

"Yes. Since the Shutdown, this car's people have looked to me to lead them when I provided a solution to this perpetual storm. And to this day, I have maintained power and stability. But even with the longest pauses this weather gives us, with the excess power beginning to overflow, it becomes difficult to sustain it."

Varicose then began to address another issue.

"And then there's the Renegade."

"Ah, yes. Your fixation towards her hasn't gone unnoticed, Varicose. Especially since you almost killed one of my passengers today."

Varicose became embarrassed before Pike gave him a glare that told him he tried to warn him. However, Pike still had something bugging him. If this Renegade is going after the passengers they collect, why not put the focus on her?

"On that topic, shouldn't we handle this troublemaker?"

The Castigator, however, didn't see this as a concern, so much as an annoyance.

"The Renegade can take as many passengers as she wants. As long as she can't enter the city without a number, it won't matter. Not when it comes..."

The Castigator then opened a drawer from the desk, showing a small blue-green orb before taking it and showing a model of a giant figure in a hooded navy blue robe with a red line exposed within it as the Castigator spoke.

"...to the Conductor."

Upon seeing him, Varicose became shocked as his mouth widened while Pike nodded. The latter of the two expected the reason behind their army to be linked to something like him, whereas Varicose, who repeatedly dismissed him as just a rumor, was caught off-guard.

"The Conductor? But... but you decreed he was a rumor."

Castigator then put his orb away as he explained to his cohort.

"It was merely a fabrication that spawned while you were being inducted into the Scarecrows, used to keep our passengers in line."

This made Varicose understand what the Castigator had planned. Being a warrior himself, it wasn't hard to spot.

"So I was right, then. We're not just adding new members. We're going to go to war against the Conductor.

"Precisely. And once we overthrow him and assimilate the cube of creation to the main controls, the Scarecrows will rule this train till the end of time."

The plan seemed to be in place, but Pike knew there's one flaw in it that couldn't be ignored.

"But Castigator, even if we do overthrow the Conductor, how can we secure our rule if we can't figure out how to make the cube assimilate with this car, let alone the train?"

The Castigator was well aware of that. He knew Tinkerer had found no solution as of yet, but by now, he's working diligently on finding the answer. But in spite of that issue, he saw no reason for them to worry.

"Have patience, Pike. It is only a matter of time..."

* * *

Down in the bunker, Tinkerer was strapping the woman to the chair. As he did this, his assistant became puzzled about what was to take place.

"So, what exactly am I doing here, master?"

"Just a little experiment, Ms. Charleston. The cube continuously rejects the excess power of the lightning rods. Therefore, if the cube reacts by pushing away the lightning with an overload, then the brain waves will successfully bond with the cube, because of the cube's own link to all life in this car. Er, at least that's the hypothesis."

Nervous as she became, Ms. Charleston couldn't argue with the logic.

"That's... an interesting theory. But, uh, how do we get those brain waves?"

Tinkerer answered by putting a metal helmet on her head while he replied.

"With this. It'll translate your brain waves through the arms and merge them with the cube itself. Fascinating, isn't it?"

Charleston gave a small gulp at the idea before she responded as Tinkerer went to the controls.

"I-I guess..."

Tinkerer began to activate the usual procedure himself as he pushed a button, causing the arms to come out of the walls as the cube began to lift itself off of its panel slightly. As the purple light glowed from its shape, Tinkerer turned to Ms. Charleston before speaking to her.

"You should feel honored, Charleston. If you survive, you'll be the cornerstone of a new age."

Those words made her more nervous than she was when she started as she checked back with him.

"But I will survive. Right?"

"Only one way to find out."

Tinkerer then pushed the fatal button, causing the helmet to activate as a powerful surge struck Charleston, making her scream at the surprise attack of the pain in her head. All the while, the mechanical arms began to arc lightning on the cube, but instead of changing the color of the bolts to that of the cube, they actually began to dim the light of it. The results colored the Tinkerer intrigued as the other times they initiated this process, it tended to glow brightly.

"Very interesting..."

Meanwhile, Charlestown's screams began to turn into low moans, her eyes peering deep into the heart of a cube.

* * *

_There was a dark purple color all around her, as if she's in __the__ middle of chaos itself. She didn't know what to do in this situation. She needed to know if this was part of __the__ experiment, but it wasn't nearly as important as her other question._

"_Where am I?"_

_Charleston looked left and right until she saw one small white background in front of her, zooming in closer to see a light blue image of a little girl crying inside. She didn't turn from where she wept as she spoke sadly._

"_It's all my fault..."_

_Charleston made a small frown her way, not wishing to see her so sad. But at __the__ same time, she wondered why it was so sad, let alone what its identity is._

"_Who are you...?"_

* * *

In the bunker, the mechanical arms began to whir in a higher pitch, much to Tinkerer's shock as he expected an overload. And it did come, but not like he figured. Instead of the cube overloading, the arms were giving out as electricity sparked out of its structure, making him panic as he tried to stop it.

"My machine!"

In his desperation, Tinkerer began to push the buttons on the control panel before the arms shut themselves down and retracted back into the walls as the whirring died down. He then turned back to Charleston, who appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilating as her breathing was unsteady. He didn't quite know the effects of his experiment, but the Tinkerer felt it was unwarranted on her part.

"Charleston! Pull yourself together!"

Alas, she couldn't. After what she saw, she couldn't find an immediate way to calm herself down. Yet, this didn't stop Tinkerer from lashing out at her restraints, tearing them out as he yelled in frustration, followed by a movement of swiftly removing the helmet from her head before placing his claws hands on her shoulders and throttling her back and forth, further demanding her silence, only to earn a timid response from her.

"Compose yourself at once!"

"I-I can't, master. I-I-I was inside the cube..."

This made Tinkerer become interested in this development quickly, beginning to ponder the mysteries that lie within.

"Inside the cube?"

"Y-Yes..."

This wasn't what a Tinkerer sought after at all. He sought assimilation from the cube to the car. But for the sake of possible development, he needed to know.

"Tell me. What did you see?"

"I... I saw chaos. Everything inside was dark purple. Then, I looked behind me and-and I saw a... a little girl."

"A girl? Are you sure?"

"Yes, m-master."

For a while, Tinkerer seemed interested, gazing to the cube then back to Charleston. Then, he showed his disbelief to her in his words, much to her dismay.

"You must be hallucinating. Get out of my lab."

"But, master! I-I know what I—!"

Before she could finish, Charleston felt a mental backlash, urging her to hold her head with her right hand as she groaned.

"My head..."

"My point exactly. You're seeing things inside your head. Now get out. I require no further assistance from you, Charleston."

As much as she wanted to convince him that she wasn't hallucinating, Charleston didn't want to deal with the headache all day. So, she was forced to drop the topic in favor of her health for the time being as she spoke meekly.

"Y-Yes, master."

Charleston then began to walk away from the lab as she cradled her head with her hand and groaned from the pain. As she left, Tinkerer looked back to the cube, seeing its form retain its darker shade from the experiment. In his frustration, he began to see it as a failure. Then, taking in account her words, Tinkerer began to see a silver lining to tonight's mishap as he spoke.

"What a waste! Or perhaps... not."

* * *

The next morning, Penny, Tulip, and Bryce were still sleeping in the bed while Atticus and One-One were snug in their own place to sleep. The sky was still cloudy, but if the atmosphere was any indication, it would be morning. Penny began to wake up as she opened her mouth wide and let out a yawn. As her eyes opened, she began to look around. She could tell that Tulip and Bryce were still sleeping away, not that she'd blame them. After the comfort she had last night, she'd want to sleep all day, too. But she knew they couldn't stay here, not if they wished to avoid those scavengers. At the same time, though, Penny wasn't sure if she wanted to leave yet with one thing left unattended.

Somehow or another, she kept hearing a gentle laugh in the house. It was consistent with the apparition of the figure she saw in her dream last night. She had to wonder if it was her again.

"Mommy... is that you?"

Determined to find the answer, Penny got up from her bed and sneaked by Bryce and Tulip before cautiously going off the bed. From there, she walked to the source of the voice, being drawn farther and farther away from her friends and out to the living room. Initially, she looked around, not finding anything for her to see out of the ordinary so far. Then, she heard it again, this time from the upstairs side of the house. Penny began walking up the stairs, trying to keep from squeaking on them before she'd reached the top of the stairs and found another room just up ahead. Could she be coming from there?

Penny knew there was but one course for her to find out: she stepped closer to the room before she found herself at its entrance. When she opened the door and peeked inside, she was surprised to see a lone television set with a cardboard box holding a note that said "play me". Confused at the idea of it, Penny went inside the room and tried to find out what it was about, calling (in an indoor voice) for the voice that lured her here.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

No answer came to her. Maybe she was hearing things. Although, she wondered why a voice that was inside her head would lead her to this box. Left with nothing else to do but leave it alone, curiosity got the better of Penny and urged her to open it. When she did, she found a small tape inside it. It was exactly similar to Tulip and Bryce's tapes when she trapped them in a flash to her, but when she looked at the bottom of it, she saw a name she never heard of before.

"Aden... Ch-Char-less-ton? Who's that?"

Penny looked over to the VCR and deigned to find out for herself, inserting the tape into the player before seeing the static turn on. Penny looked into the screen and felt a pulling force draw her in as she gasped, her eyes becoming as staticky as the screen.

* * *

In a turn of events, Penny suddenly found herself inside a blank landscape. Not sure what to make of this, Penny looked around, eventually turning behind her to see herself staring back at her. This was an entirely new experience for the little girl, so she was quick to be curious.

"Is that me?

Then, she heard a feminine voice call out to someone from in the darker staticky screen behind her.

"Aden! You can't throw your life away like this!"

"Huh?"

"We need you!"

Penny tried to find out who was speaking to whom as she walked to the screen and put her ear on it, only to phase through it and stumble upon a railroad, almost falling on the ground before looking up to see a young man with dark brown hair that had sideswept bangs and a long-sleeved red shirt along with a set of black finger-less gloves and jean pants that had a grey color and a girl with a blue jacket and a black shirt with a grey skirt, medium blonde hair, and a ponytail shouting to him as the man shouted back to her since he was on a railroad system underneath the bridge where she was.

"Don't even try to talk me out of this, Kate! This is the only way I can move on!"

As the man shouted to Kate, Penny recognized the outfit he wore in one of her visions from the Puppy Cloud car. She also saw him in her nightmares. That's when she realized who it was that was in such a state of disparity...

"Daddy?"

"Think about your family! Think about your friends! How are they supposed to go on without you?!"

"DON'T EVEN PRETEND FOR ONE SECOND THAT YOU CARED! Before now, you never took the time to get to know me! You weren't interested in anything I had to say! What I had to give you! I _loved _you! But you broke my heart!"

While they argued, Penny couldn't help but feel sad for him. For him to be so willing to throw his life away was the most tragic thing she'd seen so far. And it was only the beginning of it.

"Daddy..."

"I'm sorry, Aden! I wasn't trying to hurt you that way!"

"Well, you did! Not that it matters! In a few seconds, it'll all be over! And then, for the first time since I met you... I'd finally be happy!"

The train then began to toot its horn as it came closer and closer. Penny could already tell where this was going and she did not like it at all. Frankly, neither did Kate as she spoke to him.

"Aden, it's not too late! Please don't do this! If you do, your family will be miserable without you! _I _would be miserable!"

Aden only gave her a look of pure hatred as he spoke those bitter words.

"Good. Then you'll know how I feel."

Right at that moment, Aden looked down just in time to see the train barreling right at him. And in that moment, something happened that he didn't expect: a green portal opened up from the front of it, catching Aden unawares, as well as Penny before she covered her eyes just when the scenery changed.

There was no sound of the train afterwards. Only the sounds of birds chirping in the air. Penny was a bit scared to know what happened, but even so, it didn't sound like anything deadly occurred. Cautiously, Penny lifted her hands from her face until she saw a beautiful scenery.

Aden was lying on a field of grass just out in the forest by the city, the houses of clay still standing and the trees in full bloom as the leaves sheltered him from most of the sunlight. Penny was in utter awe at the environment that greatly contradicted the wasteland she walked into. In that moment, Aden woke up slowly as he moaned, his eyes lifting up one by one before he sat up, looking around at the trees all around him. As is the case with anyone waking up in a place not their own, Aden pondered this to himself.

"Where the heck am I?"

While trying to figure it out, Aden remembered the last time he was conscious. He was arguing with Kate just as the train came by. That was the last thing that happened before he came here. It was then that Aden quickly made an assumption based on his memory.

"Did... did I die and go to Heaven?"

To answer, Aden heard a feminine voice behind her, a voice that Penny easily recognized.

"You don't look dead to me."

Aden jumped up in startled exclamation before seeing the woman with light brown hair at long length and in a light blue gown, who was taken aback by his own outburst.

"Oh! Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no. No. It's okay. I just... wasn't expecting it. That's all. Who are you?"

Penny knew the answer to that right away as she gasped at their first meeting with surprise before she introduced herself.

"Mommy?"

"Oh, right. My name is, uh... Bailey. And you are?"

Being asked to introduce himself, Aden tried to play it cool as he answered her smoothly.

"My name... is Aden. Aden Charleston."

This made Bailey confused as she raised an eyebrow, much to Aden's dismay before he tried to repeat himself.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'it's Aden...'"

"I know. I got that. But you have two names. Are you Aden? Or are you Charleston? Which one is it?"

"You mean you don't have a last name?"

Bailey only shook her head before she responded to him.

"Mm-mm. We don't use those here."

Her traditions seemed a bit strange to Aden. But other than that, he didn't seem too bothered by it as he answered her question.

"Oh. Then, you can just call me Aden."

"Okay. It's nice to meet you, Aden."

As Aden and Bailey looked at each other with a smile, Penny began to realize what this moment was.

"That's... when mommy and daddy met each other. Before I was born..."

The scenery then suddenly changed to that of a city, where it showed Bailey showing Aden around the busy streets and large Art Deco buildings, walking past countless people and robots as she pointed to the machine at the center of the square with the monitor showing the weather to be a sunny day as the sunlight was out above the atmosphere as Penny looked up to where her mother pointed.

"And this, Aden, is where all the magic happens."

"All the magic, huh?"

"Yep. Everything in this place is run by this HUGE machine. And it can control the weather, too."

"Yeah. Like this huge skyscraper can actually control the—"

Just then, the monitor's image changed into that of a cloud with rain coming down from it. Almost immediately, the people in the city got out their umbrellas in preparation, including Bailey just as it started. Alas, Aden wasn't spared from the rain as drops of it got him soaked down from his shirt to his pants, making Penny struggle to hold back her giggle as she held her hands over her mouth.

"—weather."

Bailey gave him a smile as she stepped by him and held her umbrella over his head.

"It's okay. We'll dry you off at my place. It's just outside the city."

In a flash of static, the scenery then changed to a familiar setting, causing Penny to look about and see her father sitting on the end of the bed as Bailey took off his shirt before placing it in the hamper just by the nightstand beside her bed. Bailey would've gone for the gloves, too, but Aden stopped her.

"No, no. It's okay. I got it."

Aden began to take off his gloves as Bailey watched. But just as he took off the one on his right hand, however, Aden noticed a green number on his hand that said "183", causing him to be startled as he exclaimed, getting her worried about what set him off.

"AAH!"

"Aden? What's wrong?"

"What's on my hand?!"

Aden showed his numbered hand to Bailey, who didn't quite take it as out of the ordinary as she replied naturally.

"That? It's a number."

"Yeah, I _know _it's a number, but what is it doing on my hand?!"

Bailey felt it was a bit strange that he didn't know what it was by now as she bore a look of confusion.

"You mean... you don't know?"

"Uh, duh! Of course I don't!"

Aden was in complete panic mode at this moment. How could she act so casual about this? Then, Aden looked down to Bailey's hands, wondering if she had one like he did. To get his answer, he looked to Bailey and spoke to her.

"Wait a minute. Bailey, let me see your hands."

Bailey held her hands out to Aden, showing that there was no number on hers. This made no sense to Aden. Why was it that he had a number and she didn't? What possible explanation could there be for what's happening to him? At the same time Penny was in awe at this inadvertent revelation, Aden began to be overwhelmed by this as he spoke to Bailey with his temper rising, making her try her best to calm him down.

"Mommy didn't have a number, either."

"You— you don't have a number. How? W-Why don't you have a number? Why do _I_ have a number on my hand?!"

"Aden, calm down."

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!"

Just as lightning struck in the background, presumably from the current weather, Bailey was quickly frightened by his outburst, backing up from such a jarring volume as her breathing becoming a little ragged. Penny was just as nervous of that, if not more, and she had a right to be. She'd never known her father, so it began to be daunting to imagine a father who was this quick to be angry. Then, Aden realized how scary he'd been to Bailey, feeling the guilt weighing him down as he quickly tried to make it better.

"Bailey, I... I'm sorry. It's just... I have no clue what's going on with me. Or you."

Bailey's breathing started to become more steady as she moved back closer to Aden before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I can tell you what's going on. But... it'll be a while to explain."

As Penny watched this tender moment between her parents, the static changed the scenery so that Bailey was sitting by Aden on the bed instead of in front of him. And at that point, it was nighttime. She must've told him the whole story.

"Wow... that's a lot to unpack here, Bailey."

"It is, isn't it?"

Aden then pondered about Bailey's lack of a number as he laid down on his back, sighing before he spoke his mind more carefully than when he was in the cusp of panic.

"What about you? How come you don't have a number?"

"Thing is... I wasn't born in New York, or Las Vegas, ow whatever place you've been to in your world. I was born here, on this train. This train is the only thing I've known all my life."

Aden started to feel bad for Bailey as he inquired of how she handled it.

"Well, did you ever try to get out?"

"The closest we can get to that is through one of those doors I showed you here. They all just lead to the next car, and the next, and the next. Et cetera, et cetera. It just goes on and on. And, to tell you the truth... I'm not sure if I even want to try when I know I won't be going anywhere."

Aden bore a sad look on his face as he saw how melancholic she's becoming. Somehow, it mirrored his look of a broken heart. And Penny didn't like it any more than he did as she gave a small, sad frown her way. Then, Aden sat up and spoke to her meaningfully.

"Me neither."

"What?"

"Let's just say that I, uh... didn't exactly have the best life growing up."

Bailey became interested and leaned closer to him, wanting to know the whole story.

"Well, what happened?"

"It's a... really long story. But the short version is, things didn't go the way I wanted them to. So, I'd like to start over here. Do you think you can help me?"

Bailey gave a small smile to Aden as she wrapped her hands around him and tried hard not to cry while she replied.

"I'll see what I can do."

Then, Aden returned her embrace with his as Bailey found comfort with him. While they hugged each other, Penny figured out what came next since then.

"Daddy decided to stay with mommy... so they could be happy."

The static then changed to show them under the blankets with Bailey's chest covered while Aden's was left out as they panted softly, making Penny confused as she went up on the bed to get a better look at them. From where she sat at the end of the bed, she saw not a trace of clothing on them, making her blush though she didn't cover her eyes as the blanket already got that covered before her mother spoke softly.

"How long have you been on the train now, Aden?"

"Hmm... 4 years, I think."

"Huh. You know... it's strange to think that you had all that time, and it didn't cross your mind to ask me to marry you until now."

"It felt a bit rushed to just ask you on the spot. Besides, what kind of person gets engaged to someone they just met that day?"

This earned a giggle from Bailey before she replied in agreement with him.

"Now that you say that, it is a little crazy."

After a short exchange of laughter, silence came as Bailey looked to the ceiling. Of course, it was short as Bailey pondered something on her mind, speaking aloud.

"It's not just that, though. I mean, I had all that time to think of a way to get off this train. But I didn't come up with anything..."

This made Aden feel bad as he spoke to her about that topic.

"Bailey, I'm sorry if I was distracting you."

"Huh? N-No. It's not your fault. You know what I told you when we first met. It's just... I didn't feel like trying after finding out how long it really was. But now, I... I _really_ want to try it.

Aden then held his hand close to her head before she leaned against it, moaning softly as he replied.

"Well, what's stopping you?"

Then, the static changed from the bedroom to that of the hospital, making Penny surprised as she suddenly sat at the hospital bed, beside her mother, holding a gentle, little baby, who cooed at the warm touch of her mother's hands as Aden stood beside her. While the baby cooed, Penny couldn't help but fawn over her much younger self.

"Aw... I look so adorable."

Penny giggled at the cute little infant before Aden spoke his relief.

"I'm glad she's healthy. I almost had a heart attack."

Bailey giggled at Aden for his behavior before turning to the little infant and speaking softly.

"Hi, Penny."

Penny quickly looked up to Bailey, convinces she must be talking to her. In a sense, she was, but not the way she interpreted it as she went on.

"Welcome to the world. Well, it's... technically not the real world yet, but you'll see it soon. Your dad and I are working on that part. But... we want you to know that whatever happens between now and then... it isn't your fault."

"She's right. There's always gonna be problems that seem too hard, but you shouldn't let that stop you. I mean, we had nine months and counting to find a way to get you two off this train. And I'm still trying to help you. And... I doubt you'll be able to remember, being so little and all, but..."

Aden started to cry tears of joy as he tried his best to speak before pulling himself together enough to wipe his tears away.

"We'd do anything for you. To make sure you live your best life... to be happy. We love you."

Penny couldn't help but feel incredibly heartbroken to hear this as her tears emerged from her eyes. To hear this from Tulip and Bryce was one thing, but to hear it from her father... it was the closure she needed. Just then, the younger Penny cooed at her father with a smile, making Bailey smile as she guessed what it meant.

"Aw, look. She's saying she loves you, too. Don't you, Penny?"

Penny sniffled at this moment, wiping her tears away as she answered.

"I do, Mommy. Daddy."

Suddenly, Penny started levitating off of the hospital bed and the background turned white as she zipped towards the screen in front of her as her eyes turned staticky.

* * *

Back in the house, Penny fell backward on the floor, the TV turning off in the process as she laid on the floor with small tears in her eyes. She never imagined to find any remnant of her parents here, let alone a tape. But here she is. And it was all she needed to truly be happy again as she sat up and bore the biggest smile on her face as she wiped her face and spoke to herself.

"I gotta tell them!"

In a huff, she ran down the stairs and right into the bedroom where Tulip and Bryce were as she shouted.

"Tulip! Bryce! You won't believe what I just—!"

The moment Penny entered the room, however, she found no sign of Tulip nor Bryce. Not even a trace of Atticus or One-One. This made her more mortified than ever as she looked desperately in the room. She started to look under the blankets, and then under the bed. In both places, she didn't find who she was looking for.

"Tulip? Bryce? Atticus? One-One? Where are you?!"

In her panic, Penny rushed over to the living room, only to arrive just in time to see, through the open side of the house, Pike and Varicose forcing Tulip and Bryce into a single-file line as their hands were cuffed with white rings that held a dark purple energy band in the middle of them with One-One in Tulip's backpack and Atticus collared up on a leash with the Pike holding the Corgi King hostage as Varicose shouted to them.

"Now, march!"

The group began to march to the city against their will as Tulip looked back to the house before developing a surprised look of shock before Varicose began to push her away.

"Go! You, too, four-eyes."

"My name is Tulip."

"Whatever."

The group then matched onward as Penny was left behind to fend for herself. All she could do was watch as Pike and Varicose took her friends... no. Her family away from her...

"No! Stop!"

**A/N: UPDATE: Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, they do. But this isn't over yet. It's only beginning. By the by, here is a list of the cast in The Forsaken Car, in reference to the new characters by order of appearance (except for the white-robed figure and the girl in the cube).**

**Keegan-Michael Key – Pike**

**Benedict Wong – Varicose**

**Idina Menzel – Carper**

**Lewis Black – Cain**

**Alan Tudyk – Stockwell**

**Jason Isaacs – Castigator**

**Mark Hamill – Tinkerer**

**Kristen Bell – Bailey**

**Hynden Walch – Kate**

**Chris Pine – Aden**

**Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because part two will be coming soon in April. And I wish all of you the best of luck during this most difficult time.**


	13. The Revelation Car

**A/N: Hello. :) Sorry it took so long, but here is part two of the Forsaken Car. Now, to make sure you're aware, there is actually going to be three parts in all for the Forsaken Car arc. But, there's also going to be some interesting twists along the way, some you're familiar with, and some you didn't expect. But as a whole, I promise to make this arc especially meaningful as it focuses more on Penny's story. I hope you can enjoy part two. :)**

**Act II - Chapter XII:** The Revelation Car

Penny was in utter distraught from seeing what was in front of her eyes. Before then, those same eyes witnessed the very day her parents met and how much they cared for each other since. She wanted to tell the others what she saw, but that opportunity was taken from her, and her friends along with it. She could see them being held captive by Pike and Varicose. And it made her so scared she couldn't hold back the first words that came out of her mouth.

"No! Stop!"

Unfortunately, the two Scarecrows heard the girl's shouting and turned quickly to see her, standing out in the open through the large hole in the living room. Seeing the little girl, who started to show fear on her face as they glared at er, Varicose and Pike quickly took interest.

"What is that girl?"

"It must be another passenger."

"Well, then why didn't we notice her before?"

As they tried to figure it out, Bryce tried his best to keep his little sister away from danger as he turned to her and shouted with desperation.

"No, Penny! Don't worry about us! Just go!"

"But I can't just leave you!"

Witnessing the moment between them, Varicose spoke to the girl with a demanding tone, interrupting the scene.

"You don't have to worry about that, little girl! Because you won't be leaving at all!"

Varicose then proceeded to give chase, turning into a black cloud as Penny tried to run through the hole that exposed the house to the outside. As the cloud headed straight for her, Penny tried to outmaneuver him by going around him in her left, but unfortunately, Varicose's arm got out through the mist before it parted to show his tall figure holding her by the back of her shirt into the air, much to Tulip's worry as she shouted at the snickering Varicose, much to Pike's annoyance.

"No! Leave her alone!"

"Quiet, passenger! It's for your own good."

Varicose then clutched onto her right hand with his open one, earning a whimper from the girl as he spoke with a sneer.

"Now, then. Let's see what number you've got."

When Varicose opened it, however, he was utterly dumbfounded to see one important detail: there was no number on her hand at all. The blankness of her palm practically mocked him as he growled in suspicion.

"What? It should be here!"

Seeing Varicose's flummoxed reaction, Pike tried to check with his partner.

"What is it, Varicose?"

"This girl doesn't have a number at all!"

"What?"

This wasn't something unheard of for the Scarecrows. But how could she not have a number? The only other person they dealt with that didn't have one was the Renegade. Whatever the reason, he knew it had to be too unlikely to be true.

"Did you check her other hand?"

Varicose then opened Penny's left palm only to find it untainted by a green glow, further being angered.

"Nothing again! She's a hitchhiker!"

"A hitchhiker? Here? But how?"

This made Tulip become confused as she never knew the reason why she didn't have a number before now with Pike explaining the consequences.

"A hitchhiker?"

"Humans on the train who don't have numbers. Not that it's any concern of yours. Just be glad you're not her right now."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Surely you know what happens to hitchhikers who sneak about on this train."

To give a visual aid, Varicose got out his rusty sword and held it under her chin as he snickered while he spoke.

"We eradicate them!"

With the blade so close to her throat, Penny couldn't help but make a whimpering gasp. At the same time, Tulip and Bryce became frightened of what could happen to her as they shouted their heart-wrenched pleas to the ruthless Scarecrow.

"No!"

"You can't do this!"

"Says who?"

Varicose made a hearty laugh, preparing to do her in, only for Atticus to bark as he ran to him, resisting the pull on Pike's leash as he tried to hold him back.

"Enough, hound! Heel!"

Atticus gave a glare back to Pike before speaking angrily.

"I heel to no one!"

This caught Pike off-guard as he spoke in alarm.

"You can talk?"

Taking advantage of his weakness, Atticus dashed at Varicose, the leash that Pike held quickly slipping from his grasp as he exclaimed before Atticus leaped at Varicose's arm and bit down on it, making him yell in pain as he let go of Penny to try to extricate the Corgi King from his left arm. Given the opportunity, Penny took off, taking the pink jacket with her off of the bed as she bolted away from them and into the forest, much to Pike's worry as he shouted.

"That girl's getting away!"

Pike attempted to chase her, but Tulip knocked him down with her arms, stuck together by the dark energy bands before she leaped on him to keep him from getting up as he groaned.

"You're not going anywhere near her!"

Bryce then looked to Varicose and attempted to do the same thing Tulip did with him, only for the brute to notice as he growled before successfully removing Atticus from his arm before chucking him at Bryce.

"Bad dog!"

The force of the impact knocked the both of them to the ground with a thud before Varicose towered over Bryce and Atticus with a smirk while Pike proceeded to move Tulip off of him as he growled while standing up. In the process, however, it caused One-One to peek out of her backpack as his sad side complained.

"Ugh, can you keep it down? I'm trying to be in sleep mode."

Then, he took notice of Pike towering above him and Tulip before his glad side decided to get acquainted with him.

"Oh, hello."

Pike began to eye the little robot curiously as he picked him up with his hand, much to Tulip's dismay before he tried to find out what the robot is with Sad-One replying to him.

"No! One-One!"

"Hello, indeed. You're nothing like the robots we have here. What exactly are you?"

"One of life's greatest mysteries..."

"Really? Is that right? Are you a prototype core?"

Already angry enough for what they could've done to Penny, Tulip shouted around her captor.

"Don't even speak to him!"

Pike only growled in distaste as he placed his foot on her back, making her groan while he continued conversing with the sphere, with Glad-One being eagerly anticipated.

"Well, what do you say we solve that mystery?"

"Oh! You mean like a detective?"

"Sure. Why not?"

In the meantime, Varicose was frustrated that Penny got away as he spoke to his compatriot in a fit of rage, only for Pike to correct him.

"That girl must be long gone by now! She'd have been gutted by now if those passengers—!"

"Those passengers are our main priority, Varicose, not the girl."

"But the hitchhiker—"

"Can't get in Nirvana City without a number, any more than the Renegade can."

"It doesn't explain why she's still here when we've enslaved them all!"

"We'll solve that mystery another time. For now..."

Pike then held One-One in front of Varicose, making him initially confused as Pike further explained before One-One introduced himself.

"I think the Castigator would be more interested in this... trinket."

"Oh, my name isn't 'trinket.' But it's alright. We just haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is One..."

"One. And you are?"

Varicose only gave a grin as it seemed too complying for its own good before he gave his answer coldly.

"We are the death of you, ball."

Sad One didn't seem too bothered by it as he replied nonchalantly, much to Varicose's confusion before Pike soothed his personal worries.

"So you're finally here? Ugh, this is so embarrassing. I didn't get to write my obituary..."

"Don't worry, my friend. You'll have plenty of time for that..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Penny was still running in the forest. She refused to look back behind her, fearing that the Scarecrows would be looming behind her if she so much as took a peek. Although, it took her a while to notice that she'd gotten as far from them as she could. She took the opportunity afterwards to catch her breath, stopping by a tree before looking behind to see that they're far away from her. Unfortunately, so were her friends... her family.

She wanted to help them, but the first instinct when those strangers came to her was to run. Penny knew they wanted her to be safe, so of course they can't blame her. Although, she was tempted to blame herself. If only she could've helped them... Penny's face began to shed a tear, thinking on how she let them down...

"I... I'm sorry..."

Penny wanted to sob her heart out, but her mother's message repeated in her mind.

"_Whatever happens between now and then... it isn't your fault."_

Penny's eyes widened from recalling that profound message. Her parents never blamed her when this nightmare happened; she was just a babe back then. If they were still here now, it'd be no different. But she was old enough now to know what has to be done. She literally couldn't do a thing last time she lost her family, but for the family who's looked after her thus far, she knew more than ever that she _can _do something. And she will. As her tear began to fall across her skin, Penny took her right arm and used it to wipe her tear away, shedding herself of her regret.

"No. Mommy and daddy didn't blame me. Tulip and Bryce wouldn't either. They just wanted me to be safe. I... I need to do the same for them. But how...?"

How indeed? She didn't know where they were going now, or even if the two of them are still alive. And even if she could find them, those strangers would try to eradicate her. She just couldn't take that risk. But something had to be done and soon. Penny placed her fingers on her chin as she sat down on a nearby rock to think.

"What do I do...?"

A few seconds after, Penny began to hear clopping from far away. Wait, clopping? From what she saw on her father's tape, there wasn't anything that could make clopping noises. The little girl turned to the source of the noise and saw a strange silhouette approaching that resembled an unknown creature to her. Cautious, for the fear that it might be the strangers who took her family, Penny hid behind the rock, hoping they wouldn't find her. The clopping grew closer and closer... until it stopped.

Penny became anxious from the silence, ready to make a run for it should they find her. However, she heard a new sound that suggested otherwise. She began to hear chewing from where the clopping stopped. What exactly could that unknown thing be eating out here? Penny became curious to know and attempted a peek from the rock before seeing...

"A deer?"

Penny never met one in person, but Ms. Tabitha brought her up to date on the creature during her time in the Orphanage Car with the alphabet. She always thought they were very majestic and interesting. To be frank, she thought everything was interesting. But her previous shyness didn't help with that aspect. Thankfully, she's grown out of it. Or so she's convinced. Penny took a few steps closer to the creature as it chewed something in its mouth, trying not to scare it off.

"Uh... hi."

The deer stopped chewing for a bit before looking to the little girl. She felt a bit anxious from its wide, black eyes staring at her. But it didn't seem to be doing much else, so she kept walking to it, building up the nerve with each step.

"My name's... uh, Penny. Do you have a name?"

Penny truthfully didn't know why she asked that. Then again, there's a lot of things she saw on the tree that could speak that weren't usually supposed to (according to Tulip and Bryce). No answer came from the deer, but it went back to chewing on the food.

"I... guess not."

Just then, Penny heard a different female voice with a british accent within the maze of dead trees.

"Deers can't talk to you, silly."

Penny looked around left and right for the source, finding no one around. It didn't sound like one of the strangers that weren't after her, but she can't be too careful.

"Who said that?"

In that moment, she heard another voice, one sounding more like a man.

"Aw, nuts! Why'd you have to open your big mouth? She's onto us...!"

That voice caught the deer's attention as its ears perked up, looking left and right as the female voice shushed the other.

"It's okay. She doesn't seem like one of those Scarecrows."

Scarecrows? Penny knew what that term was, but why would the voices be cautious about them? Did they mess with the wrong crowd somehow?

"Well, maybe, that's just what she _wants _you to think! Then, she gets to take off with our ride!"

Penny tried to reason with the voice, though she couldn't see who it belonged to.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was your deer."

The deer widened its eyes from hearing this as the voice stated disbelief.

"Yeah, right. I bet that's what you all say."

"I don't think any of them would talk about a deer so often."

Penny felt as though she wasn't getting anywhere in the conversation, so she got to the point.

"Can you at least let me see you? You don't have to be scared."

The voice began to "pssh" as if it was offended.

"Me? Scared? Come on! That's ridiculous. I'm not scared of anything."

Just then, the deer fixed its eyes on the tree where the voice came from before shooting purple laser eyes at it, much to Penny's surprise as she gasped before the tree instantly disintegrated to show the source of the voices. One of them was a girl with medium brown hair braided with two strands of her hair forming a ponytail as they entwine, her outfit being a small, purple jacket with a red shirt inside. And the other was a small, green T-Rex, who screamed from the tree's disintegration before hiding behind the girl.

"Keep that laser cannon away from me!"

Penny became surprised to see the two of them, though it was mostly towards the girl. She didn't recall seeing her before in the Orphanage Car. Could she be a passenger here? She wanted to find out, but first, she needed to be sure that the deer wouldn't fire on them, however it did the first time.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. They're not doing anything wrong."

The deer looked down to Penny before holding its head down to hers. She was no expert on deer, but Penny guessed that it wanted a rub on its head. Her hypothesis was confirmed as she gently brushed her hand on its fur with a giggle.

"You're so weird."

The girl saw how well she and the deer got along and became puzzled.

"Wait a moment. How did you get along with the deer that fast?"

Penny was confused about the etiquette on that matter. She didn't think there were any rules to that sort of thing.

"What do you mean? Wasn't it yours?"

The girl brushed her hair behind her head as she tried to explain.

"Actually... we were trying to win him over so he could give us a lift. But it looks like you beat us to it."

"I did?"

Suddenly, the deer's head lifted Penny up from under her until she was riding on top of him, her hands holding onto its antlers before the girl spoke.

"It certainly looks that way."

The dinosaur then began to groan before complaining bitterly.

"Now we're gonna have to walk, _again_, and after all the trouble of getting it some food, too!"

This made Penny become curious. There didn't seem to be anything living in this car that could possibly be worth eating. Were they feeding him before?

"Wait, food? But there isn't anything to eat in this car."

"I know! That's the whole problem! Nothing around here has any food left, and _yet_, it somehow managed to find some!"

This piqued Penny's interest as she turned to Ava. Could there be a trace of life left in her home car that was unnoticed?

"It did? How?"

"We couldn't figure that part out, either. Nothing here from what we've seen seemed to match the food the deer's eating right now: fresh leaves."

Penny's heart began to ache all over again. To her, it meant that the deer wasn't part of this car, nor its food. It was always a wasteland... and Penny wasn't the only one to be sad after her trouble, for Rexy wasn't done complaining yet.

"Oh..."

"And the worst part is, it never stays in one place, sending us on a wild goose chase just to find him again! I think my scales might shed and give me some bunions..."

The dinosaur began to shed tears over the struggle it must have gone through, much to Penny's dismay. She didn't want to see him so sad, but the girl seemed to know better as she scoffed.

"That's funny. Because I remember you saying you can walk as long as you wanted."

The dinosaur quickly retracted its crocodile tear upon realizing what he'd apparently said.

"Well, I _can_, but it doesn't mean I _want _to."

Penny didn't quite understand their conversation, much less who they were. She wanted to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later as she slid off the deer's back and landed on the floor.

"So, who are you guys?"

The girl realized that they didn't get to introduce themselves, and wanted to fix that mistake.

"Oh, right. We didn't get to introduce ourselves. You can call me Ava."

The dinosaur then stepped forward to introduce himself.

"And you can call me, 'Rexy the Wrecker!'"

Penny looked confused towards the green dinosaur before Ava explained.

"Huh?"

"He doesn't actually wreck stuff. It's just a nickname. What about you? What's your name?"

Penny was a bit hesitant at first, but after a moment, she smiled and got out her hand to shake Ava's as she thought about her name. She only knew herself as Penny until she watched the tape. Whenever she asked about her last name, which was due to the other kids having one, Ms. Tabitha wouldn't tell her. She must've been afraid that she'd try to find her parents and get hurt or killed in the process, not that she'd blame her with what she went through mere minutes ago. It personally made her wonder why she was even on the train, though she didn't yell Tulip or Bryce about it. But now, she could say with confidence who she is.

"I'm Penny. Penny Charleston."

Ava took notice of her hand before smiling back to her and shaking her hand with her own.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Penny."

When they finished their handshake, Penny noticed the lack of green glow on Ava's right hand. When her hand was inspected, the stranger said that she was a hitchhiker, a person who was born in the train. Penny began to wonder if she was born here, too.

"You don't have a number, either..."

Ava showed a look of confusion to her when she heard what she said under her breath.

"Pardon me?"

Penny became conscious that she must've heard her and tried to change the subject. Truth was, she needed help to get her family back. And this group may be odd, but any help is better than no help.

"Never mind. Anyway, is it okay if I can ask a favor?"

Rexy was quick to answer as he tried to hop on top of the deer, but couldn't.

"No can do, missy! We're on our own adventure. And we're gonna... find the next door and... get to the next... car!"

Feeling sorry for her companion, Ava went over to Rexy before grabbing him and putting him on top of the deer's back, allowing him to celebrate.

"Aha! Now, giddyup, deer! We got a door to go to."

The deer's body only split itself in half, making Rexy fall to the floor with a thud before he grumbled. Ava, on the other hand, was curious about what the favor was about.

"That would depend. What is this favor?"

Penny began to get sad as she tried to answer, but it wasn't just because of the terrifying thought of never seeing them again, though it did cross her mind. Another problem was that she didn't quite know how to put it in a way that she thought they'd understand. Then, she began to see the way they helped her, and how they loved her. After everything she went through, who else could they be? Penny's face became determined as she replied to Ava.

"Well... I need your help to save my family."

Ava showed a look of surprise from hearing that while Rexy became confused with the latter speaking up first.

"Huh?"

"What happened to them?"

Penny couldn't find the words to say it. It's one thing to know she has to do something. But it's another thing entirely to think back on what could've happened to her, let alone what could be happening to the others right now.

"I'm not... sure I wanna talk about it."

Rexy felt it was just as well. He didn't see the point in helping someone when they have no clue. Beyond that, he just wanted to move on.

"Great, we don't wanna hear about it."

Ava, on the other hand, wasn't sure it was the best idea. She didn't like to see Penny like this, even when she just met her. After giving a small glare to her dinosaur friend, Ava went over to Penny before putting her hand around her shoulder. Unlike Rexy, she had a more sensitive approach.

"We understand if it's not easy for you, but we don't know the first thing about your family, whoever they are. And as far as we know, you're a stranger to us. But... we still want to help. But only if you let us."

Penny gave a sad smile to Ava, feeling as though she was somehow lucky to have met her. Although, Rexy was still focused on his goal, so naturally, he had to wonder.

"I don't know. What's in it for us?"

The deer only huffed at Rexy, blowing air onto him before he exclaimed while he scampered back. As it happened, Penny knew how to get his attention. He said they were looking for a door, and if she recalled correctly, which she did, Bryce had a feeling it might be in the city. If his theory was correct, then she could get them to that door. Or if not, they could search for it somehow. So far, it's all coming together.

"I can take you to the exit after you help me."

Like she suspected, Rexy's attention was grabbed. His eyes widened up in anticipation, now more than eager to help Penny.

"Okay, I'm in. What's your deal, kid?"

Ava gave him an eye roll, though her smile suggested it was to be expected.

"Sure. Now, you decide to help her."

Penny found the interaction between them quite humorous as she began to smile before Ava turned to her, and got to the point.

"So... what happened to them?"

Penny only took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"It's... a long story."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip and Bryce were being marched into the city's gates with Pike holding on tightly to Atticus' leash (having learned not to let his guard down again) while Varicose corralled the passengers, humming to himself as he juggled One-One into the air with his right hand. While his glad self found it entertaining, his more sad self was getting dizzy.

"Whee! This is so much fun!"

"I miss the fart car...!"

All the while, Varicose was amused with the dual ball, chortling at his separate personalities.

"This little trinket's the best, isn't it?"

Tulip became worried about what they could do to him. She'd ambush him right now if she could. But in her situation, a glare is all she could manage without drawing more attention to herself than she'd earned herself. Fortunately, Pike was just as concerned about One-One, if only for the possibility of his workings being out of place from Varicose's grasp.

"Quit playing with the robot, Varicose. There's no telling how special it is. And if it breaks before the Castigator lays his eyes on it, it'll be on your head."

Varicose put One-One back in Tulip's backpack as he complained about Pike's capacity to take the fun out of everything.

"Come on, Pike. It hasn't broken yet."

Sad One actually agreed with Varicose on that matter, but for a different reason.

"Emphasis on the word 'yet.'"

Bryce only glared at Varicose, not very happy with what he could've done to Penny. That aside, he wanted to know where they were being taken.

"Where are you taking us?!"

Varicose only scoffed at him while spoke felt obliged to answer him.

"I think you should be asking 'to whom are you taking us?' And to answer that question, the Castigator will see you shortly."

The group approached the gate as Tulip pondered to herself. She'd heard it before, but it was still a mystery to her.

"Who is the Castigator?"

Pike only gave her a dark smile under his hood.

"You'll see very soon..."

At last, they stopped at the gate as the robot spoke to them as per its routine, making Glad One reply to it, as he felt it was asking him while Sad One saw the resemblance.

"May I see your number, please?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think I've brought it with me, sir."

"Wait. Didn't he look familiar?"

To solve that dilemma, Pike and Varicose nodded to each other as they got out their numbers, which extended up their sleeves from which they pulled. Tulip and Bryce became shocked to see it go that length. How could that have been possible? Did it hold the answer to how to leave the train? The robot finished the scanning process before it spoke.

"Access granted. Please enter."

The gate lifted itself up as Tulip and Bryce looked to each other in disbelief. They talked the night before about how Ms. Tabitha didn't exactly trust passengers. If anything, they seemed to worry her. Now, they understood why. They must be the bad passengers the cat spoke about before... their train of thought was cut off as Pike spoke to them.

"Confused, I take it? Don't worry. The Castigator will explain everything..."

Atticus began to growl at Pike, threatening to bite him before he pushed a button to tighten his leash, pressing against his neck and making him choke a bit before his neck collar allowed him to breathe again.

"You will compose yourself, hound. You may have caught me by surprise with your gift of speech, but it won't happen again."

As Tulip, Bryce, and Atticus were forcibly marched along the dreary landscape of the city, drenched in the previous night's rain, they were struck by the sight of the grey, broken, and melancholic Art Deco buildings. Even Glad One was depressed by the sight and his sad counterpart could agree.

"Oh, I don't like this."

"One bit."

Tulip had a feeling that they were responsible for the damage to Nirvana City as she glared at Pike.

"What did you do?"

"_We _haven't done anything, young passenger. To know more than that, the Castigator will explain to you."

Tulip wanted a more immediate answer as she attempted to protest, but she stopped herself with a sigh. As much as she thought it couldn't get any worse, she was in no rush to test that theory. For now, all that mattered was that Penny was alive and safe from those evil passengers.

* * *

Outside the city, the feminine figure in a white hood was watching the scene from afar. She was afraid to know that they were captured by Pike and Varicose. The last time she saw them, they were guarding Penny. What did they do to her...? Sadly, all she can do is assume the worst.

"No... what have they done?"

The feminine figure's fists tightened, angry over what they most likely would've done. However, she began to hear a familiar voice in the distance.

"Then, Tulip and Bryce took cover fire for me and I got to the flag just in time."

She looked over to the source of that voice and saw something through her binoculars that brought her relief. It was Penny, who was surrounded by two new companions by her side as they talked about Bryce and the woman she assumed was called Tulip. She let out a sigh of relief as she spoke softly to herself.

"Thank goodness."

The figure kept watching as Ava spoke with Penny.

"Wow. They must've loved you very much for you to be with us like this."

"Uh-huh. Tulip said the same thing about my mommy and daddy."

This caught the figure's attention as she made a light gasp. When did she know about what happened in this place? Moreover, how did Penny know?

"I wasn't able to help them last time, but now... I want to help them while I can."

The figure heard all she needed to hear. She couldn't help but smile under her hood.

"Penny..."

The figure looked to another tree branch that was closer to Penny in opposition to her own before leaping at it, catching it and swinging herself up until she was standing on it in a crouch position.

"I'm on my way."

The figure proceeded to continue onward towards the young girl, hoping to lend her the aid she needs.

Meanwhile, Ava was moved by Penny's personal proclamation. For such a young girl, she had just as big a heart.

"Don't worry, Penny. We'll find them and get them out of this place."

While they walked, Rexy still maintained his focus on what comes after.

"Speaking of 'out of this place', where did you say the door was?"

Ava felt he was being insensitive and was about to reprimand him, but Penny wasn't offended by the question, which made Rexy feel better about it.

"Rexy!"

"No, it's okay, Ava. We were planning to leave this place, anyway."

"Great. So, where is it?"

"It's somewhere in the city. Maybe where the machine is."

"Oh. That's good to know. And, uh, where is the city?"

Unfortunately, Rexy turned to notice Nirvana City far ahead, sealed up by a transparent white barrier. His jaw immediately dropped at the sight while Ava and Penny joined his side, the dinosaur still maintaining his open mouth as the deer joined up behind them. Ava turned to Rexy and saw his shocked face before snapping her fingers to get his attention.

"Rexy, are you alright?"

After a while, Rexy began to speak again, though he didn't sound too happy.

"You didn't tell me the door was guarded by a giant force field! How are we supposed to get in?!"

Ava took a knee to set herself down at Rexy's level and tried to help him look on the bright side.

"It's alright, Rexy. We just need to find a way in."

Just then, they heard the figure's voice from a tree behind them.

"That's easier said than done."

The group turned around to see a woman in a hooded white jacket appear from thin air in front of a tree as her cape went behind her to show a bow around her body as well as some arrows in a satchel beside the bow as she stood up.

"Believe me, I've tried. People without numbers can't get in, so we're sealed off."

The group became confused to see an unfamiliar face, especially one who knew how that barrier worked as Rexy inquired of her.

"Really? And who are you?"

For the answer, Penny could tell the voice was familiar.

"Wait. You sound familiar..."

The deer began to get closer to the woman, who held out her palm, which was full of orange leaves before it chowed down on the meal before Ava and Rexy became intrigued.

"So that's where the food came from: it was from her!"

"Huh. Why didn't we find her before?"

The woman didn't answer Rexy's question, but she did go up to Penny before she spoke, removing her hoodie to reveal the same face Penny had known most of her life.

"Of course I'm familiar... who else could've raised you?"

Penny's eyes widened in surprise to see none other than...

"Ms. Tabby?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Nirvana City, the Castigator overlooked the ruins in its entirety from the main building, cautious of the cloudy weather above it. It seemed to be settling down since last night's downpour. Indeed, a great contrast to the stormy weather that plagued the city. However, he knew it'd only be a matter of time before the storm returns and unleashes another torrent of lightning and thunder. That means another potentially imminent overload, and he knew each time how it failed to subjugate the Cube. But as he said, it's only a matter of time...

Unfortunately, so was his expiration date. The Castigator unraveled the bandages on his hands in his curiosity. Upon removing them, he'd seen that among the green digits that coated them, his hands began to contain black spots, spreading like cancer all over. He hasn't forgotten how he himself was a victim of the shutdown. And he never will...

_He could recall when the alarms went off every which way. Even worse, he remembered the screams of everyone within range. He was trying to get away from the chaos himself. His hand was just within reach of the door. Then, the acid rain came. Its power was so potent that it can practically burn the skin away to dust. Before he could get to the door himself, it burned his hands, making him scream as viciously as the pain that debilitated them. And yet... he endured._

Just then, he heard a knock on the doors behind him, breaking him from his unpleasant trip down memory lane as he wrapped the bandages back on. The Castigator assumed it was Pike and Varicose, coming to make a report on their search, so he signaled the entrance.

"You may enter."

The doors opened behind him as footsteps came in before one of the expected guests spoke to him.

"Mighty Castigator. We've caught two passengers sleeping in one of the abandoned houses far outside city limits, along with a couple of... companions."

The Castigator didn't seem too pleased, nor was he angry. To him, it was a slow start to the day.

"And did you seize them, Pike?"

"Yes. We've even checked their hands to confirm the numbers. But, for reasons yet unknown to us, they've asked us... not to tell them what numbers they have."

"Hmm... rather odd."

"Perhaps they're in denial. And one of the companions, a robot, claims that he's... one of life's greatest mysteries."

This piqued the Castigator's interest as he placed a talon on his chin in thought prior to Varicose delivering the report next.

"Is that so...?"

"We've brought them here to the main entrance, and they're requesting an audience with you, if only to seek answers."

The Castigator only growled in thought of this. Of course he's used to the idea of passengers wanting answers. But after six years of this type of work, it was beginning to get too much.

"Of course, they do. Any passenger we bring has asked questions, especially about the Renegade. And those questions will grow louder once they hear one of our passengers is missing. The one Varicose tried to assault before. This... Kierra."

Varicose saw what he considered a fair way to keep their mouth shut about that topic.

"I will see them try to ask their questions through broken teeth."

However, a voice behind the chuckling Varicose had a different take on the solution.

"Two questions answer one another."

The Castigator became intrigued by this answer as he turned around to see another cloaked individual with black raven hair who possessed a spiked visor, rusted to gunmetal grey and chains wrapped around his cloak, almost like a vengeful ghost. The idea did make him curious.

"Explain yourself, Chain."

"There's no need for breaking teeth. Why do we search for the passengers before the Renegade? What happened to Kierra?"

Chain paused for dramatic effect, making Castigator anxious to see where it was going before he proceeded again.

"It's obvious. The Renegade murdered Kierra! How tragic!"

It was a delicious idea, if not smart as the Castigator nodded in agreement. However, the attacker didn't think it'd hold up. Varicose did attack Kierra, but she managed to survive, as far as he knew. They haven't seen Kierra sometime since, which was their mission to search for her that morning before finding the passengers the way they did. In a way, it was unfortunate timing. All the same, Varicose didn't have good faith in them.

"Are you so certain they'll believe that? That girl could be alive out there."

"Then we'll just make sure to silence her if she is. That is what you tried to do before, yes? Besides, this is what I do. I plant stories in the ground, then I watch them grow into truth. Keep the passengers looking over their shoulder, and they won't even see what's right in front of them."

"Bah! Why waste our time with talk when we have claws?"

The Castigator, however, gave Chain's idea food for thought. As long as they believe it was her fault, their work would still continue. And even if she should find her way past the barrier of Nirvana City, the Renegade will have a difficult time of winning them over. It was practically ingenious.

"Chain speaks true. Let us utilize a light touch until the Cube is fully subjugated in our grasp."

"But Castigator—!"

"You are excused, Varicose. You can pursue the Renegade if you desire. In fact, it would further sway our opinion. And if you encounter the girl, do away with her as well."

Varicose had a stunned look over his face, but he didn't know what for. He didn't know if it was because Chain's plan trumped his or that he finally acknowledged the Renegade as a threat. However, Chain's pleased grin answered it for him as he glared at his rival before the Castigator turned to Pike.

"Pike, bring the passengers and the companions to my chamber."

Pike nodded to him before he and Varicose spoke simultaneously.

"As you wish, Castigator."

Pike and Varicose then made a prompt exit from his chamber just as the Tinkerer arrived upstairs. Hoping to make a good impression, especially with what he discovered, the Tinkerer tried to greet Varicose.

"Varicose."

Sadly, he wasn't in a good mood.

"Weakling."

The Tinkerer didn't appreciate that title as he groaned bitterly. Frankly, neither did Pike.

"I'd best leave him out of it. If anything, you're too much of a brute for your own good."

Varicose only growled, not wanting to hear how that passenger catastrophe was his fault.

"Don't you remind me..."

In that moment, the Tinkerer was the next one to enter his chamber. He'd recently found a new solution to the Cube crisis with some help from Ms. Charleston. She'd since taken a leave of absence to allow herself recovery. It was thanks to her that he had a good report to make. The Castigator turned to him, seeming to have expected him.

"Ah, Tinkerer. At last."

"I've arrived with good tidings, Castigator. You see—"

Before the Tinkerer could begin his report, however, the Castigator cut him off.

"That can wait. Before anything else, give me some of that sulfuric essence."

The Tinkerer gave a pause at this, recalling how much was left to conduct the experiment before he relied on Charleston.

"But there is no more."

The Castigator didn't like the answer one bit.

"What? No more?!"

"Well, uh... the cube consumed it all."

However, Chain, who still remained in the room since Pike and Varicose departed, knew otherwise.

"Lies! I saw you lock a vial away!"

The Tinkerer vied to explain that action while the Castigator's patience wore thin.

"A paltry amount, for further study."

"_Make _more."

The Tinkerer grew weary of his growl and tried to explain the situation before he could lash out his temper.

"That is impossible, Castigator! My machine was incapacitated during the initial experiment. It will require repairs! I need time!"

Time was not something the Castigator seemed to have as he slammed his claw on the table.

"FIX IT!"

His temper forced Tinkerer back as he agreed to this task, not wishing to anger Castigator any further.

"Of course, Castigator. With haste. With haste."

The Tinkerer left the room, quickly replacing his fear with anger. Though, in truth, it might be just as well. The machine was incapacitated from his experiment with Charleston, so even if there were good tidings, it wouldn't be wise to leave it broken just to tell the news. The Castigator began to groan, as if his age was catching up to him. Chain took notice and tried to alleviate his pain.

"You seem distressed, Castigator. Perhaps some pleasant distraction would be good, yes?"

"You need not... concern yourself with my health, Chain."

While the Castigator took his breath, he turned back to the city, continuing his gaze upon the rain-stained streets and buildings. His gaze eventually led him to look out to the forest. He knows that the Renegade is out there somewhere. And it's very unlikely for her to infiltrate with the barrier intact. Still, he can't be too sure, not when his condition is getting worse. But he can't skip out on any passenger he sees. To maintain the ruse, he must endure this pain, as he had always done, no matter the cost...

* * *

Back out in the forest, Ms. Tabitha was leading the group back to the abandoned clay houses. Along the way, Penny was trying to figure out how she came to be there at all. It was a long journey through the train, and she couldn't have only joined up recently. However, no amount of questions she had made her any less happy to see her again.

"I'm so happy to see you, Ms. Tabby."

Ms. Tabitha gave her a soft smile as she looked behind her.

"I can tell you are."

Ava was a little confused with how she knew her. There was a lot she still didn't understand.

"So, Ms. Tabitha was your caretaker for six years?"

"Uh-huh. She looked after me since my parents..."

Before Penny could finish, she remembered what happened in her nightmare and saddened. Ms. Tabitha recognized this and figured out what it meant.

"So... you must know the truth, then."

Penny nodded to her sadly before Rexy stepped up and stated his confusion.

"Uh, hate to interrupt this reunion and all, but, uh... what's going on here?!"

Ava quickly shushed Rexy, placing her hand over his mouth to keep his voice from exposing them inadvertently.

"Shh! Keep your voice down. They could be looking for us, remember?"

With Rexy knowing full well to keep himself quiet, Ms. Tabitha proceeded to speak, though the explanation would have to wait.

"I can't tell you yet. Not until we're certain the Scarecrows won't follow us."

Penny grew confused about the name, if not about the first thing that popped up from that word. The Scarecrows, according to her, were actually dummies stuffed with straw to, well, scare the crows away from corn fields. However, anything could happen on the train, good or bad. Naturally, she assumed they were on the same page, though Ava disagreed with her.

"Scarecrows? But I thought they scared crows away."

"No, Penny. That's regular scarecrows you're thinking of. The ones who took your family are the Scarecrows."

Ms. Tabitha became confused about her knowledge. She didn't see her or her companion before today. Ms. Tabitha had to know as she turned to Ava and Rexy.

"You know about them, too?"

"Unfortunately. When we saw them, we decided to keep our distance. And we heard them talking about the way of the Scarecrows."

"Yeah. Sounds like they really cherry-picked that name. If anything, they should be called 'Vultures.' Am I right?"

Rexy began to laugh from the quip he made, only to earn Ms. Tabitha's glare, making him freeze like a deer in headlights before she reprimanded him.

"If you knew what they did, you wouldn't even dare joke about them."

As she turned back to lead the way, Penny was getting anxious quickly. She'd never seen Ms. Tabitha so... angry. She wasn't sure if she liked that at all. Rexy, on the other hand, was confused by the situation he'd mistakenly caused as he turned to Ava.

"Was it something I said?"

"What do you think, Rexy?"

Moving on, Penny tried to catch up with Ms. Tabitha to cheer her up. Her gentle hand clutched onto Tabitha's, causing the latter to take notice of her concerned face.

"Are you okay, Ms. Tabby?"

This made her realize that Penny must've seen her short outburst. Of course, she had. The poor girl must've been scared to see that side of her, even if it was only for a moment. She began to hang her head down as she spoke apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Penny. It's just... I've been doing this for so long now."

"Doing what?"

Ms. Tabitha then thought about how Penny felt during her time at the Orphanage Car. For a year, she'd wondered where the other people came from. And for that year, she wasn't willing to say anything in fear of breaking her fragile heart over the truth that would follow. But she knew now. And she owed it to her.

"Penny... do you remember when you were four that you asked me about where the others came from?"

"Uh-huh. You couldn't tell me. Why?"

Ms. Tabitha took a deep breath before she spoke solemnly.

"Penny, the other children that were around you were the others that I rescued when... when the Shutdown happened."

Penny caught her voice threatening to break from mentioning that event. She could tell it was no good, though she didn't know it was called that while Ava began to realize its importance.

"The Shutdown?"

"Is that what happened to this car?"

"Yes. If I'd just been better, this never would've happened..."

Penny heard her tone of sadness and began to feel bad for her as she attempted to find out the source of her despair.

"What do you—?"

Before Penny could finish, she was blocked by Ms. Tabitha's hand, making the others behind Penny stop as well. Ms. Tabitha then looked ahead to see a silhouette coming from near another abandoned house, putting the group on edge as Ava kept her distance while Rexy hid behind her legs and Penny held tightly in Ms. Tabitha's leg. When the silhouette stepped forward, it was revealed to be a man that sported black hair and a traditional doctor's outfit.

"Ms. Tabitha, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

His appearance caught Penny in for a loop as well.

"Dr. West? You're here, too?"

Upon seeing her, Dr. West began to stutter. He obviously didn't expect to see Penny in this of all cars.

"P-P-P-Penny?! What are you doing here?"

Ms. Tabitha didn't feel it necessary to get to that part as of yet, not when they're still at risk of being caught.

"We'll get to that later, Dr. West. We need to make sure Penny and the others are safe."

"It's a good thing I've found just the place, then. Follow me."

Dr. West then began to lead the group, with Ava becoming more and more curious about their actual involvement, feeling as if she wasn't told the whole story.

"Penny, did you know about this?"

"No. I didn't have any idea, either."

It didn't take too long for the group to arrive at a road. As they walked on the road and towards one of the exposed houses, Penny recognized the layout of it from when she snuck by yesterday and didn't feel it was a best place to hide after this morning. Odds are, the next time they look, they'll be looking in this area first.

"Uh... why are we going there, Dr. West?"

The doctor turned over to Penny as he gave his answer.

"Because, my fair Penny, that's where that perfect place is. In fact, we're right on top of it."

Ava didn't feel it to be convincing, either.

"Are you mad? The Scarecrows would find us out here."

Dr. West didn't let this deter him as he went in the open end of the house and placed his hand on top of a doorknob in the living room.

"Perhaps up top. But down below..."

The door opened to show a set of stairs headed down, much to the group's surprise, save for Ms. Tabitha. Rexy took great interest in the secret passageway, especially when he knew it'd save him the trouble of hiding behind trees.

"Hey, that'd come in handy. Now we just need to make room for the deer to get through, so we don't lose it, by way of it wandering off, that is..."

Ava knew he had a point. She wasn't quite sure herself how the deer could fit in through the door. If it weren't for the antlers, it would've been an option worth taking.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Well... maybe we can saw off the antlers?"

This earned a panicked grunt from the deer, making Penny worries for it as she stood by its side.

"No! We can't do that! He doesn't like it!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but how else are we gonna fit it through the door? I mean, it's not like it can shrink itself."

In that moment, the deer countered Rexy's claim, shrinking inch by inch until it was small enough to fit on anyone's hand. Penny, Ava, Ms. Tabitha, and Rexy became surprised while Dr. West had an intrigued look on his face as the now tiny deer bleated towards the little girl who held her hand out for it to walk on.

"Hmm. Very interesting..."

Still caught off-guard by the event, Ava considered it a relief. If they were to have an argument over this, it would've exposed them much longer.

"Well... problem solved, I guess."

Dr. West proceeded to lead the way downstairs as Penny gently brushed the tiny deer's head with her finger. As he came down, Dr. West turned on the white lights to reveal a secret room as he introduced it to the group.

"Ladies, Dinosaur, and Deer, welcome to our hideaway."

The room was decorated with faded yellow wallpaper, linoleum floor panels, small cabinets packed with canned food, dry instant foods, a bag of leaves, and perishables of vaired nature by way of bread, yogurt, cheese, butter, and even milk. Along with that, there's also a mini fridge in a right comer of the room full of bottled waters (with a few Dino fridge magnets decorated onto it), a small corner table on the left side of the room with a sink on one side and a electrical oven on the other side (coincidentally making the letter L), and a small coffee table on the other side of the room near a fold-out, grey, beaten up couch with a strange human-shaped bump on it covered by a grey blanket. Rexy took a shine to the fridge because of the decorations as he went over to it.

"Oh. Looks like someone's got good taste."

While looking around, Penny placed the deer on top of her shoulder while taking notice of a few broken and ripped family framed photos that hung on there with the strings each hung by a nail. They showed another young girl with her loving parents. She could tell from the background that it must be before her car turned into a wasteland. Penny then looked towards the human-sized bump underneath the grey blanket, feeling curious about the identity of what it hid underneath when Dr. West detailed the room, catching her attention away from the only glimpse of another girl's lost memories.

"As you can see, it has everything we need to rest ourselves and shelter us from danger, whether it be detection or the weather itself. And, in the case of an emergency escape..."

Dr. West tapped on the more worn out part of the wall before the wall pulled itself back to reveal another tunnel that seemingly led to nowhere.

"Voila! A secret tunnel that leads outside the house."

Ava and Rexy were impressed with the design as they applauded softly.

"That is a nice touch."

"Your folks sure are smart, Penny."

Rexy didn't receive a response from Penny, making him turn to see the little girl focused on something else. Or rather _someone_. Penny took notice of the human-shaped bump and wanted to know who could be under there, her hands reaching for the blanket that laid on it. Ms. Tabitha took notice of it and tried to suggest otherwise.

"Penny, I don't think you should—"

But it was too late. The grey blanket came off to reveal a young woman on top of the grey couch who had long, dark brown hair, evident by a low-hanging ponytail held up by a blue scrunchie. And her skin tone was a bit darker than Penny's, like a different shade of tan. She was wearing a faded blue jacket, a black shirt, jeans, and dark blue sneakers. To top it off, there was a number on her hand that said "365". Rexy and Ava went by her side to see the young woman themselves and were astonished.

"Holy schnikes."

"Whoa. She looks like she's seen better days."

Dr. West took notice of that and walked over with Ms. Tabitha, seeing the condition of the girl for herself. He considered it an improvement from the last time they saw her.

"Well, she's doing better considering what happened last night."

Penny looked to the doctor and became confused.

"Last night? What happened?"

Before he could answer her question, the girl began to moan in her sleep, her eyelids lifting from their sleep. When they fully opened, the first thing she saw was a young girl with a pink jacket and white shirt, another girl with a purple jacket and red shirt, and a dinosaur with a red baseball cap on backwards. Sadly, the dinosaur spoke first.

"You doing okay, kid?"

In response, the girl exclaimed in panic and backed herself away from the group, confusing them as Ava and Penny tried to calm her down.

"Wait! Wait. You don't have to be scared."

"Yeah, it's okay. We're not gonna hurt you."

However, the girl still wasn't convinced. She dug into her pocket and took out a knife, pointing at Rexy, scaring him as much as she was.

"Stay away from me! I won't let you take me back!"

"Hey! Watch where ya point that ice pick!"

Ms. Tabitha took the opportunity to step up beside the group as she tried to soothe the frightened girl.

"It's alright. We're not going to hurt you."

The girl turned to Ms. Tabitha and held the knife up to her.

"Who are you?! Where am I?!"

She remained unfazed by the knife in front of her and continued to speak to her softly.

"Please listen."

The girl wasn't inclined to listen, acting on her instinct to defend herself when they tried something. As the girl took her breath, Ms. Tabitha tried to get her name.

"What's your name?"

She was hesitant at first, but it seemed like she was making an effort to help her out.

"It's Kierra."

"Right. Well, Kierra, I'm sure you have questions, and I can answer them. But only if you put the knife down. Can you do that?"

Kierra took a ragged breath, having been through so much not to be so willing to take her word for it. And yet, when she looked around, it wasn't exactly a menacing place to be. It seemed homey, if not sad. And the company she had was mostly innocent in the forms of Penny, the tiny deer, and Ava. She wasn't certain if Rexy was innocent, considering he was a dinosaur. Then, she looked back to Ms. Tabitha as she spoke softly again.

"It's alright. You're not in any danger."

The girl's hand trembled where it held the knife, but it began to lessen with each second that passed, her breathing beginning to relax. When she'd finally calmed herself, Kierra set the knife down on the armrest of the couch before she spoke, still not certain if she was to be trusted.

"Okay. Now, you keep your end of the bargain. Where am I? And who are you?"

"You're safe in the hideaway, where the Scarecrows can't find you. And for who I am, I'm Maria Tabitha. But you already know me... as the Renegade."

Kierra made a small gasp of surprise from hearing this while earning puzzled looks from Penny, Ava, and Rexy. The trio hadn't heard that term before now, especially pertaining to her. Yet, Penny was the only one to speak her mind quick enough.

"What's a renegade?"

Ms. Tabitha turned to Penny, holding a sad look on her face.

"Penny... there's a lot I have to tell you."

* * *

Back at Nirvana City, the Castigator was watching the weather go dark, the cloudy weather becoming more so with each second that passed until the sun couldn't be seen.

"Ah. That's better."

Just then, he heard faint footsteps coming through the hall. In but a few seconds, they were revealed to have come from Pike, Tulip, Bryce, and Atticus while One-One was in Tulip's backpack. The Castigator was used to the sight of frightened passengers, but he didn't expect companions with them. All the same, he reminded himself of the standard procedure as Pike introduced him.

"Passengers, you stand in the presence of the Mighty Castigator. Be honored that he gets to grace you with such."

The Castigator then stood up before he spoke to them with welcome authority.

"Welcome, passengers."

Considering the treatment they'd received just this morning, Bryce didn't feel inclined to be.

"Huh. That's some welcome you gave us."

The Castigator only proceeded casually, as he walked around his desk to stand in front of them.

"You'll have to excuse Varicose for his brute force. His maverick-like behavior tends to get away from him, which is why I've sent him on a leave of absence."

Tulip had an uneasy feeling about what he was talking about.

"You mean to kill a little girl?!"

The Castigator was taken aback by such an accusation, especially when he had received no reports of her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"That big guy tried to kill her when he captured us!"

The Castigator didn't quite know what to say about that, forcing him to look towards Pike to verify her case.

"Is this true, Pike?"

"Yes, Castigator. Truth be told, she had no number on either hand."

"And yet, you didn't think to report _that _to me?"

The Castigator was beginning to get very angry as he stood up from his seat while Chain reprimanded Pike.

"It's a very bad thing to keep secrets, Pike. Especially from the Castigator."

Pike tried to explain himself as the Castigator drew closer and closer to him as the group watched.

"B-But the hitchhiker was just a child. She wasn't as imposing as the renegade. What could she possibly—?"

The Castigator only growled into a yell before slashing him in the face, even across his rusted metal visor before he reprimanded Pike.

"That's no excuse, Pike! _Everything _out of the ordinary is to be reported!"

Before the situation could escalate, Chain stepped up to him, trying to keep him from making the wrong move.

"Let's not be so hasty, Mighty Castigator. We have guests. It's important to make good first impression."

The Castigator took a deep breath, looking at the distrusting faces of the passengers and the companions before he spoke softly.

"My apologies. I've... had a lot to deal with recently, that's all. Especially as far as _hitchhikers_ are involved."

Tulip knew what the hitchhikers were thanks to Pike. But she nonetheless saw lack of reason for killing Penny in the grand scheme of things.

"What do you have against hitchhikers, anyway? What did they ever do to you?"

The Castigator glared at Tulip, trying not to let his anger get the better of him as he took his breath and went to his desk.

"You know, this car wasn't always a desolate and ruined wasteland. In fact, it used to be... paradise."

The Castigator got out a small blue-green orb from his desk before using it as a hologram of the city back in its heyday. The cities were bright with color and the machine functioned like a broadcast and a weather-maker simultaneously. Tulip, Bryce, Atticus, and One-One became surprised with the beauty of Nirvana City as the little robot spoke gladly of it before the Castigator continued, the hologram then showing the people with numbers encountering ones who had no number to begin with before shaking hands.

"Oh, cool! A mini-movie!"

"This car was a haven for passengers who wished to stay on the train, away from their traumatic experiences in life. At one point, we discovered others like us who had naught a number on their hands. We called them 'hitchhikers'."

The hologram then showed the two groups getting along in the city as they walked together down the sidewalk. After which, it showed a hologram of a lab holding the Cube of Creation at its center, as well as a certain Boogeyman that terrorized them for some time as Chain took over for the explanation.

"We treated them as equals, and we both enjoyed each other's cultures. But a hitchhiker infiltrated our lab and sought the Cube of Creation for himself. Our sources said that his name... was Osore."

Bryce recognized the figure in the hologram, glaring at him as he watched what he did next.

"So that's his name..."

As Osore's hologram cut deep into the cube with his platinum claws, leaving dark purple scratches on it before it overtook the shape, turning it from blue to dark purple before entering it as he smirked and the background of the car took a turn for the worse as the rain turned into acid and melted everything that grew there, even people as they turned into puddles, much to Tulip, Bryce, Atticus, and even One-One's shock as Chain continued.

"He corrupted the Cube of Creation to carry out his dark wishes, and used it to destroy the environment and the people simultaneously, hence 'the Shutdown'."

The hologram then ceased its recordings as The Castigator finished.

"In conclusion, it was a hitchhiker who caused this tragedy, and therefore, we must _never_ allow hitchhikers back in, lest they sully our efforts to rebuild this once peaceful place. Any questions?"

The two passengers and Atticus were too surprised to even ask one. However, One-One didn't hesitate to ask one, holding up his little stub as his glad side spoke up to him.

"Oh-oh-oh! I've got one! How are you so certain it was a hitchhiker that caused the Shutdown?"

The Castigator looked to the sphere in her backpack, assuming it was one of her companions (in which case he was) as he answered it.

"Our scientists didn't see a number on either of his hands when they last saw Osore."

However, One-One's sad side didn't entirely believe that answer.

"A likely story..."

With that, Tulip began to think on what they'd endured just this morning. She was afraid of what they're going to do to Penny, especially when Varicose could've killed her. All that trouble because she didn't have a number; because Osore solidified hitchhikers as the enemy? She was aware that this car was beyond her understanding in the way it worked, but even so, none of it was adding up. And for that matter, what about the Renegade that Pike mentioned? When she thought back on that topic, Tulip had a question to ask him, and it'd be the only one she's going to give him.

"I have a question, too, actually. Your guy was talking about someone named the Renegade when you smacked him. Who is that?"

The Castigator looked her way before bearing a look of animosity.

"Maria Tabitha... would be the disciple of Osore. She never did like the teachings the Paradise Car had to offer. And because of that, she became convinced that the train itself was meant to be a hellscape like the wasteland that surrounds it. She let him into the lab and tamper with the Cube of Creation, turning this car into the nightmare she claimed it's supposed to be. And even now, she's trying to drag any passenger she finds into that personal darkness. Even the children..."

Tulip couldn't help but feel a shiver from that idea, especially from Tabitha. She knows from Penny that Ms. Tabitha would always help the children who needed her. So what warped the Castigator's way of thinking to that? And even then, how would that explain Varicose's attempt to shish-kabob Penny?

"Speaking of children... what about Penny?"

The Castigator raised an eyebrow towards her before realizing who she was talking about.

"Ah, yes. The young hitchhiker who was with you, I assume. Well... sadly, I'm afraid she can't be allowed to enter here, either."

This made Tulip and Bryce gasp upon hearing that while One-One spoke up in opposition.

"But why? Penny's as good as a cute, little kitten."

Chain only stood up for the Castigator's opinion, much to Bryce's anger.

"It makes no difference. Hitchhiker will do anything to stay on train."

"But Penny's nothing like Osore! She's as much a victim to him as the passengers back then, and she had nothing to do with this!"

The Castigator glared at Bryce, stepping closer to him as he spoke coldly.

"You do realize how trains work, don't you? Outside the crew, there are two types of people on board of this everlasting locomotive. Those who have numbers, and those who do not. And the latter... just simply doesn't belong, clear as crystal."

Bryce began to grit his teeth as he spoke onwards, further infuriating him.

"So, the sad truth is, the girl has no right to stay on board. She's better off left to die in the wastelands for the Ghoms to eat."

The instant those words left his mouth, Bryce's eyes widened before he quickly threw a punch at his face with a yell, shocking the group and the Scarecrows present as Bryce tried to lunge on him, only for Chain to hold him back by his shoulders.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Enough, passenger! Cease and desist!"

All the while, the Castigator recoiled from the lunch as he rubbed his chin with a growl before glaring at the young man.

"I believe I've touched a nerve."

Atticus didn't like the situation at all. After all, Penny's his friend, too. Anyone who'd call her worthless was no friend of his and never will be.

"I'll have you know, Castigator, that a true ruler seeks the better welfare and well-being for _all _people, never just his own."

The Castigator glared back at the Corgi King before retorting.

"And suddenly, you're the expert?"

"I assure you, there's more to being a king than wearing a crown."

Atticus began to growl to prove his point as Castigator stood back up with a glare.

"We'll see about that."

Chain looked over to his master, expecting him to be furious.

"Shall I punish this one, Castigator?"

Within his visor, the Castigator's glare worsened as he replied.

"No. He's just coming to terms with the hard truth... and you will help them along in your chamber."

As Tulip and Bryce's faces exhibit confusion over this, Chain bore a sinister grin from hearing this as he bowed his head before he spoke sinisterly.

"I am honored, Castigator."

"No. You are _commanded_."

Then, the Castigator turned towards One-One as his sad voice spoke in defiance.

"You won't turn me into a puppet of the system!"

In response, he looked to Pike, who was giving the leash to Chain before giving an order.

"And Pike. Take the robot to the Tinkerer. If he's one of life's greatest mysteries as he claims, it'll be worth looking into. As for 'his majesty', send him to the Zoo. It's where animals like him belong, anyway."

"As you wish."

With that, Pike snatched One-One from Tulip's backpack while holding tightly on Atticus' leash, making her exclaim in worry over her friend. It wasn't the first time he was captured, and she's worried it might be the last.

"No! Let him go!"

Fed up with enough resistance, Pike used his other hand to push her to the floor before he attempted to reassure her.

"I've had enough mutiny for one day. You'd do well to comply, or I might do something particularly vicious."

Tulip growled at him, but she didn't want to take any chances of making things worse than they already were. She only took a deep breath before standing up as Chain pushed Bryce out of the room while Pike led Atticus and One-One to the other side of the exit as the Castigator spoke to Tulip.

"And don't get any more ideas about trying to defy us. Just because you're not in chains, that doesn't make you allowed to leave."

Tulip only glared at him before Chain called for Tulip.

"You! Other passenger! Get in front with your friend!"

Tulip then ran over to be beside Bryce as the Castigator felt his face again, feeling a cut on his face and seeing blood on it. But that blood wasn't normal. In fact... it was dark purple. And it seemed to be dissolving into purple smoke. Seeing the damage he did, he made an angry growl as he clenched his hand.

"I'm running out of time. I must survive. No matter the cost..."

* * *

Back at the hideaway, Kierra was now sitting at the coffee table beside Ava, Penny, and Rexy as Dr. West was cooking buttered bread on a pan as he hummed with the meal sizzling while Ms. Tabitha got out a bag of leaves from the pantry before unzipping it and handing a handful of them to the deer. The deer ate the colored leaves while Kierra inquired to Dr. West about how they found this hideaway

"So, how did you find this place?"

"Well, you see, young Kierra, when Ms. Tabitha and I arrived here, the first thing we needed to set up was a base of operations. That's where this cellar comes in."

"But that's not what I asked. I asked _how_ did you get there?"

Ava had a right to know the answer to that as well.

"Yeah. I mean, from what Penny just told us, and it's a lot to keep track, really, she went out of the train before you two did, assuming it was by choice."

Ms. Tabitha looked to them, though her eyes mainly focused on Penny before she sighed and got out a small device from her coat pocket with a button on top and a green electronic label that showed the words, "Paradise Car" as she spoke solemnly.

"I used this. It's something we used to have before the Shutdown happened. I wasn't sure it'd work, but... now we know.

Penny became very intrigued to see this device. She never saw anything like that in the Orphanage Car. What else was Tabitha hiding from her? And why did it say Paradise Car when it was anything but Paradise?

"But, why does it say 'Paradise Car'?"

"It's what this car used to be before the Shutdown."

Upon hearing this, Kierra's mind began to ponder that mystery.

"Speaking of the Shutdown... what really happened? The Scarecrows told us you were responsible for it. But, from what I've seen..."

Kierra stopped and made a small, cautious glare towards Rexy, still not sure about him.

"...among other things, it doesn't seem true at all."

Ms. Tabitha only sighed before sitting down on the couch and answering the group with shame in her voice, gazing her eyes towards the youngest of them.

"It took place about six years ago. Well, six years and six months after you were born, Penny."

* * *

_While Ms. Tabitha recounted the terrible event to Penny, she remembered back when she was working in the lab the Tinkerer now commanded. She had on her goggles as per procedure, as well as a lab coat and pants. She was eager back then, especially concerning the cube of creation._

"That day, your mother wanted to stay and take care of you when you were sick. So, I was left to analyze the source of the car's environment: the Cube of Creation."

"The Cube of Creation? But don't those little ball things set up all sorts of stuff?"

"Normally, they do. But the Conductor had a different idea for this car, especially for people like us who had no number on our hands. Only he knew how it worked. Well, until back in the day, that is."

_Tabitha was seen to be working on a computer alongside another scientist who had wrinkled skin and silver hair as she came across a string of code that ran smoothly in a folder called "EVE" before it showed an image of a young girl appeared, but she didn't appear exactly as such. Her golden body was comprised of a dress, made from countless digits all over while her blue hair flowed. Her lower body, however, consisted of an electronic tail, like a genie's would appear. Tabitha couldn't help but smile at the image as it smiled back to her with a wave._

"Our leader only disclosed that information with the car's scientists, counting me and your mother. The driving force of everything here... was EVE."

* * *

Back at the hideaway, Penny, Ava, Rexy, and Kierra became curious about the identity of EVE, though the little girl and the survivor inquired openly to her.

"EVE?"

"Who's that?"

"EVE stood for Electronic Visual Enabler. It was in charge of everything that took place in the car. There'd be requests of rainy days and snow days, but EVE got to decide when they all took place. And she even had robots there called AIDAMs. They're meant to be Artificially Intelligent Domestic Accommodative Machines."

"Wow..."

Just then, Dr. West placed four plates of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on the table, catching the group's attention, especially Kierra's.

"Voila! Lunch is served."

Her face went wide with surprise as she noticed the toasted butter on the sandwich and the cheese at the edges in front of her.

"No way! Is that a Grilled Cheese?! I love those!"

Kierra picked it up with her hands, only to notice too late how hot it was, making her exclaim as she dropped it back on the plate and waved her fingers for a few seconds.

"Oh! Except when they're too hot to handle."

Rexy, however, felt differently as he chowed down on his, leaving teeth marks on it.

"Speak for yourself. I'm cold-blooded. The heat's practically lukewarm to me."

Ava gave a glare to the T-Rex as she spoke differently.

"That's not what being cold-blooded means."

"What? I need the heat, don't I?"

As much as Penny was confused on that topic, her education having not yet reached that level, she wanted to know more about the story. Beside that, she didn't want to eat her meal if it was too hot.

"So, what happened to EVE?"

Tabitha only held her head down as she proceeded with the rest of the story.

"Like I said, our leader only disclosed EVE to the car's scientists. It was because he's afraid that if anyone heard about it, they'd try to use it to take control of the car, or worse. One day... his fears came true."

* * *

_Tabitha's memories forced her to relive that terrible day. She was still working on the computer monitor in the lab before hearing the doors open. Her face became riddled in shock when she noticed Osore walking casually towards the Cube of Creation as she recounted the event._

"I was doing the routine check in EVE's code when this... stranger showed up. He had platinum claws, a-and a visor over his eyes. I've never seen our personnel in that attire, so I had to assume the worst."

_Tabitha stood up from her desk as she glared at the stranger before going to him, planning to escort him out._

"_What are you doing here?"_

"This man... he only smiled at me and said..."

"_I think you'll find I go where I please."_

_Tabitha's glare worsened._

* * *

"I didn't like the way he acted at all. It's not as though he owned this car, any more than he owned the cube. I had enough and I was going to escort him out, but... then he gave me this."

Tabitha rolled up her sleeve to reveal a thin scar on her wrist, the size of a screwdriver. The group became shocked with a short gasp as she continued, reliving the horrible fear she felt before.

* * *

_The Boogeyman made a small slice on her wrist with his claw. And the instant he did, Tabitha began to feel herself collapse. She felt her blood boiling like lava, and her breathing that was once so simple was now the hardest thing to do. But that paled in comparison to what she believed she heard: screams. From all sides, the sound overwhelmed her, but she couldn't know who was screaming or where it came from. She was helpless; all she could do then was cover her ears in a futile effort to drown out the terror, watching as the Boogeyman sliced the cube with his claws, the dark purple scratches overtaking the shape._

"When he did, I don't know what came over me. I heard screams everywhere, all at once, and I had no idea where they came from. I was... petrified. Too petrified to do anything..."

_Tabitha's look worsened as the Boogeyman smiled back to Tabitha before he entered the cube as if it was transparent. Upon seeing this, the screams faded away as she got her breath back and was able to stand again. The first thing she tried to do since being able to move again was to get him out of the cube, however he got in. She ran towards the cube herself, hoping to stop the Boogeyman from taking over EVE, but it was in vain as the cube prevented her from getting inside, acting as a barrier. Tabitha just couldn't let him have his way and tried again and again to break into the barrier, but each time she tried, she was unsuccessful._

"By the time I was able to do anything, it was too late."

_Just then, Tabitha began to hear a sizzle from above. She looked up and took notice of the ceiling beginning to melt. It puzzled her. How could it melt? Unless... the Boogeyman was doing this. And if he was, how were things in the city? Tabitha had no choice but to run through the stairs and check for herself how bad it was. She knew that he must be distorting the environment for himself. But by the time she scaled the stairs and went outside, she saw for herself how terrible it has been changed._

"The damage had already started. I wanted to see how bad it was. And even now, I wish I never had."

_The clouds evidently rained down acid on everything, and everyone. Buildings melted down faster than ice cream, and the vegetation that grew here withered and rotted away. And the people... they didn't stand a chance. The acid had long since eaten through their skin like a termite to wood. All Tabitha could do was look around at the carnage the Boogeyman caused._

"What I saw was something out of a nightmare. If I told you any more details than that, you'd be as terrified as I was."

_Tears quickly escaped Tabitha's eyes as their screams and cries of sadness filled the air. She was afraid to think what could've happened to Bailey and her daughter. Just as she thought of them, though, she noticed Bailey and her infant child in her arm while holding an acid-proof umbrella. Tabitha considered herself lucky on both counts at this juncture._

_In the first place, she was in the protection of the main headquarters when the acid rain occurred. And in the second, her best friend and her daughter survived it. She didn't want to lose one more second with her. And so, she ran towards the sheltered mother and daughter, hoping to avoid another possibility of acid showers._

"And yet... Bailey survived. She was holding you in her arm while shielding you from the acid rain."

This made Penny especially worried to hear that, thinking how messed up her mom would be now.

"Was she hurt?"

"No. Thank goodness she had that acid-proof umbrella. We still didn't get to thank whoever made it. I don't know if we ever will... anyway, I wanted to check on you two. So I ran..."

"_Bailey! Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah, Maria. What happened back there?"_

"_I don't know. Someone corrupted the Cube of Creation. He got to EVE!"_

"_Who got to EVE? Do you know?"_

"I was going to tell her the Boogeyman corrupted EVE, but a moment after she'd asked, her face told me she figured out the answer. The next thing I knew, she put you in my arms and passed the torch to me."

"Well... did she know?"

"I don't know. I could only assume she did."

_Bailey handed the infant Penny to Tabitha before the umbrella, much to her confusion. But when Bailey handed Tabitha a small device, she began to speak to her with worry._

"_Never mind. Just look around the city."_

"_What?"_

"_Find any survivors you can and get out of here."_

"_But Bailey, what about you?"_

"_I'm going to find Aden. He has to be alive."_

_Just then, Bailey and Tabitha heard a robot's voice behind them. But it wasn't the same. Somehow, it didn't... feel right._

"_Halt. All hitchhikers are not allowed on the premises."_

_The robot held out its hexagon-palmed hand before shooting a blue hexagon blast at them, forcing them to move apart. Bailey couldn't believe what was happening, either. But she didn't want to risk Penny and Bailey getting hurt, or worse. She needed to lure it away. And she did so the only way she could think of fast enough._

"_Hey, AIDAM! You missed me! Come over here!"_

_The robot turned over to Bailey before aiming to fire again, forcing her to dodge as she ran away with Tabitha looking on._

"_Bailey!"_

"_Just do what I said, Maria! Find the survivors, keep Penny safe, and get out!"_

"_But you'll die!"_

"_I know, but I'd rather die than live in a world without you in it!"_

_Another blast fired from AIDAM, forcing her to roll away again before Bailey shouted to her one last time._

"_Just go! And hurry!"_

_Bailey continued to run throughout the ruined city with AIDAM pursuing her. With it distracted, Maria continued to run in the city, crying to herself as she held the infant Penny in her arm, saddened over the fact that she couldn't do anything to help Bailey except by what she was asked to do._

"So I ran. Along with finding any survivors in our car, it was all I could do. I... I haven't seen your mother since then. But I did what she asked. I found any survivors I could and brought them to the Orphanage Car. Including you..."

* * *

Penny, having been told the story, began to sadden from the confirmation. Her nightmares told her all along that it was all her fault, but none of it was true at all. It was the Boogeyman. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Then, she began to wonder what Tabitha did since doing what was asked of her, hoping she'd found her mother somewhere.

"Did you ever come back? To look for mommy?"

"Before today? Yes. But even then, all I saw was the same wasteland it turned into. But I didn't give up. Whenever I could, I'd sneak out just to find any sign that she was still alive. But I couldn't... I don't know what happened to her or even if she survived. I... I'm sorry."

Tabitha began to sniffle as tears emerged, thinking back on how scared her face was about this tragic turn of events. Penny's hands trembled from the idea of never seeing her mother again. She would've been angry at her over that. But this morning's mysterious tape from her father helped her realize how precious she was to them. She stood up and ran over to Tabitha before she put her arms around Tabitha, making her gasp a short breath before she spoke gently.

"Don't be. Mommy knew how much I mattered to her. I'm glad she showed it... by giving me to you."

Tabitha's tears began to stream like a waterfall, unable to bear the words she spoke. She didn't know if it was out of sadness or joy, but she gave in. Tabitha hugged the little girl back and her soft sobs exited her mouth as the group watched with their heads held down. Even Rexy felt sorry for her.

"Wow. I only heard that story once, but... I'm really sorry, kid."

Still, sad as the story was, Kierra had to wonder about something.

"Tabitha... I know it must be a bad time to ask, but... when did the Scarecrows come in?"

Tabitha's arms began to move as they wiped the tears on her face away, their owner trying to muster up the strength to speak to her. Penny could tell she was trying to speak, so she ceased her hug, but she still remained close to her in case she needed another one.

"Right. When I was still searching for Bailey, I... I noticed something odd. The buildings were partially restored when I came by. And another time when I checked, they were all repaired. But the third time, I saw the barrier. I couldn't understand why it was there, so I decided to check it out."

* * *

_As Tabitha spoke of her experience, she remembered going to the main entrance before noticing an AIDAM stationed there with the barrier intact. When her home was destroyed by the Boogeyman, Tabitha recalled that they were attacking her and Bailey. It wasn't a fond memory, so she kept her distance. Little did she know how right she was to do so. When she went away, Tabitha noticed two robed figures approaching the barrier, directly towards the robot._

"_May I see your number, please?"_

_Tabitha's eyes widened when she noticed their numbers extended up to their wrists. The robot scanned them before allowing them inside._

"_Access granted. Please enter."_

_The two figures went inside the barrier that lifted itself shortly thereafter. But why? She knew it had something to do with their numbers, but... why? Either way, Tabitha knew she was locked out. So, there was nothing she could do to get inside. For now..._

"The barrier specifically kept people without numbers outside while those that do were safe inside. Or so I thought at first."

_Tabitha walked around the forest, resuming her quest to see any trace of Bailey, her best friend. In the forest, all she could see were dead trees and ruined houses, just like Penny first saw upon her return. She was incredibly saddened by the sight. Not even the houses were spared from the cataclysm that is the Shutdown._

"I continued looking around the forest, hoping to find my friend, but then I heard a shout."

"_Now, get in line!"_

_Tabitha looked to the direction of the shouting to notice on the road Pike and Varicose, along with a young passenger, a girl that had light brown hair, a light blue shirt, and small pants._

"_Can someone help me? I'm looking for my mommy and daddy."_

_Tabitha gasped at the sight, but kept it to herself so as not to be discovered. All the while, Pike only knelt down time the girl before replying to her._

"_I'm sorry, child, but... I'm afraid they've all but abandoned you."_

_This caused tears to escape from her eyes, broken-hearted from this cold revelation before he gently placed his claws on her shoulder._

"_But there's no need to pout. We'll be your family. Come."_

_However, the child only backed away, still refusing to believe his words._

"_No! You're lying!"_

"_Now, child, don't make this any more difficult."_

"_I want my mommy and daddy!"_

_In anger, Varicose lunged at the girl and held her down, much to Pike's surprise and the child's terror. Tabitha didn't like what she saw at all. How could anyone treat a child so cruelly?! How could this car fall so badly as to allow it?!_

"_You are going with us, and you're gonna like it!"_

_Tabitha tensed her hands into fists from this atrocity as she narrated._

"He was treating that child so badly... I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to stand up for her."

_Tabitha ran over to the child and started to shout, not willing to let this go on._

"_Let her go right now!"_

_Varicose turned to the source of the shouting and became disgruntled._

"_What now?"_

_Varicose and Pike took notice of Tabitha, who glared daggers at the two of them as she shouted._

"_I demand you release that child, now!"_

_Pike tried to convince her otherwise, whoever she was. He supposed the more the merrier in this instance._

"_Release? She's not a prisoner. She's our rescue."_

"_What I saw was anything but a rescue! From here on out, she's under _my _protection!"_

_Varicose only growled at Tabitha before he retorted viciously._

"_Who do you think you are?!"_

_Tabitha was running on her strong emotions at this point, forgetting about her search for Bailey as she announced who she was._

"_I am Maria Tabitha! I am the caretaker of these children! And as caretaker, I've turned a blind eye and wallowed in guilt... while you stole children from families. No more. I've abandoned this place because I was a coward. No more."_

_Varicose was growling like a mad dog now. And his grip was loosening on the girl just to tense his hands into fists._

"_I gave in to fear and allowed myself to be weak while you _abused _those children! BUT NO MORE!"_

_Varicose, having had enough of her preaching, dropped the girl to reach for his sword and aimed to impale her with it as he held it out in front of her, much to Pike's horror._

"_Then you are NO MORE!"_

"_No! Stop!"_

_But it was too late, Varicose had tossed his sword at Tabitha, forcing her to duck before the sword embedded itself on the tree behind her. Varicose then charged at her like a raging bull, forcing Tabitha to go for the sword to defend herself. And just in time, too. By the time she pulled it out, Varicose was aiming to punch her face into the tree. Thinking quickly, she dodged his fist before slicing his chest, earning a pained scream before she ran to the child and picked her up. After which, Pike proceeded to give chase before Tabitha held the sword out to him, keeping him at bay as Varicose's wound kept him from mobilizing immediately as it was unexpected._

"_I didn't come here to kill. It'd make me no better than you. But if you go after any other passenger... I will be there."_

_Tabitha then chucked the sword to the ground, taking the child with her as Pike watched while Varicose growled before shouting, having never felt so dishonored in all his life._

"_You will die for this!"_

_Varicose was about to give chase, but Pike went over to him and saw the extent of the wound before suggesting otherwise in fear of him making it worse._

"_No. We'll go after her another time. For now, we have to report this and tend to your wound."_

_Varicose could only growl as he watched Tabitha fade into the distance with the child._

"Since then, they told their leader about me. Because I didn't conform to their cruel ideas, they called me the Renegade. I've been rescuing any passenger I could since."

* * *

Rexy widened his eyes in surprise from such a story. It was the most mind-blowing that he'd ever been told.

"Wow. Now _that's _an origin story."

However, Ava knew her story wasn't over yet, as far as the rescues were involved.

"The children you've rescued... what happened to them since then?"

"Most of the passengers I rescued were children, so I sheltered them in the Orphanage Car until they got adopted."

"Adopted? By who?"

Penny, having seen countless adoption days at her young age, had an answer for Kierra as she spoke up.

"By their parents."

Kierra became confused by such an answer from the young girl as she turned to her.

"What?"

"When adoption day comes up, there'd always be people popping up through a glowing door. They'd all have numbers on their hands. They'd all look for the child that they're missing and find them. When they do, the doors open up, and... they get to have a family."

This news made Kierra happy to hear. If the children that were here found a way back home via the Orphanage car, maybe she could find a way home from there. After all, anywhere's better than here.

"A-Are you serious? You mean I... I could finally get home?"

Penny gave a solemn nod to this, much to Ava and Rexy's notice.

"Then... why do you look so sad about that?"

"Yeah. I thought you'd be happy about that."

Penny held her head down in sadness, not willing to remember the truth that she found out herself. Although, Tabitha had a way to put it.

"Her mother wasn't born in Kierra's world, and we don't know if her father even survived. And besides, even if we could find him, it... wouldn't be that simple."

Having had enough of the nightmare that she went through, Kierra stood up and went to Tabitha.

"What do you mean, 'not that simple'? How else could our parents find us?!"

"That only depends on the parents' problems. This whole train's purpose is to solve people's problems. Especially your parents'."

Kierra didn't know how this train worked, but she couldn't care less if it meant to see her parents again.

"Well, then, it should be a done deal, right? They-they've got to miss me!"

"I'm sure they would. But they won't always appear in the Orphanage Car right off the bat. They could end up in any other car beside that. And besides—"

Before she could finish, Kierra's fear began to get the better of her as she took notice of the small teleporting device. If she could just get to it.

"Then, why don't we just look for them?! They've gotta be on this train somewhere!"

Tabitha placed her hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Kierra... I want to help you find your parents. I really do, but... I can't. Not now."

"What? Why not? Y-You totally can!"

Hearing the loud volume, Dr. West tried to shush her.

"Shh, keep it down, now..."

"But we _need _your help."

"Why can't you just get someone else to help you?"

"Because you're the only one here who knows how the city worked from the inside. You're the only one who knows how to get past the barrier. You're the only one who can help us stop the Scarecrows for good."

Unfortunately, Kierra has had enough of the scarecrows to last a lifetime. Being around them again would only make it worse for her.

"How are you so sure?! Why couldn't you do that yourself?! I didn't ask for any of this!"

"WELL, I DIDN'T ASK FOR IT, EITHER!"

Kierra backed away from Tabitha's shout. Penny, along with the rest of the group, even the deer, was stunted to see Ms. Tabitha in such a bad mood. And she thought her previous glare towards Rexy was scary.

"I didn't ask to be the Renegade for six years! I didn't ask to go back and forth between cars just to pick up passengers when I could've been infiltrating their stronghold! I didn't even ask to leave my best friend alone!"

Kierra's mouth let out a soft gasp of air at that last statement before Tabitha continued.

"I never asked for any of this..."

Tabitha was on the verge of crying from this, but she restrained herself.

"I just... I just want this to be over."

Kierra began to feel even worse for Tabitha. She'd been through so much for the past six years, but she still kept going. How could she? Kierra wanted to know as she spoke softly.

"Then... why do you try?"

"Because there's more to life than what _I _want. Something I hope you'll understand."

Tabitha proceeded to lay down on the couch, tired from the fight she had with Kierra. Kierra then turned her attention to the group with Rexy whispering, "Awkward." The deer only went up to Tabitha before laying down on the floor next to her. Kierra could only speak to herself solemnly, having just learned of what Tabitha endured herself. It was all too similar to what she experienced herself.

* * *

_In her mind, she was arguing with a girl with dirty blonde hair, a white shirt, and jeans. She wasn't too happy with what was going down._

"_Why are you leaving?! Wasn't I always your friend?!"_

"_Of course you were!"_

"_So, why are you leaving, Summer?! What happened to friends stick together to the end?!"_

"_I didn't ask to leave you, Kierra!"_

"_You didn't have to! Just go!"_

"_What?"_

"_You heard me! You obviously don't want to be around me! GO!"_

_Kierra gave her a push to the floor, earning Summer's hard "oof!" before she looked up with tears in her eyes._

"_I... I thought we were friends."_

_Summer began to cry softly before going to the door and opening it before whispering softly. She didn't quite hear it back then, but she could've sworn she said,_

"_I loved you..."_

_After that, Summer left the room in tears, leaving Kierra to stew in her anger. The anger she now came to regret harboring for so long._

* * *

"I... I had no idea."

Just then, Kierra noticed her hand glowing brightly before looking at it to see that it was rapidly shifting. When it was done, her number now said "247". The change in numbers intrigued her, but she didn't feel any better. Despite the big leap her realization made, she knew she still had a long way to go. Kierra sat back down at the table with a solemn expression, earning a sad look from Penny as she spoke sadly while holding her Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

"I'm so sorry, Summer..."

* * *

Back at Nirvana City, the Tinkerer was working great lengths in the lab to repair the machine. But along the way, he was spouting angrily at his treatment.

"Impatient and ignorant! That's what they are. Treacherous, perfidious Scarecrows! Oh, soon... soon, they will all see!"

The Tinkerer's muttering prohibited him to hear footsteps approaching. What he could hear, however, was a voice.

"See what, exactly?"

It was Carper's voice. The Tinkerer stopped dead from hearing her before turning around to see her, stunted that she was listening to his words.

"Are you planning to betray us?"

Despite the surprise, however, Tinkerer was able to correct himself before he could make it worse.

"Er, no. Of course not. What I simply meant was that you'll all see that genius can't be rushed. That's all."

Carpet didn't seem too convinced as she turned to the cube of creation.

"Speaking of genius... how far did you get on subjugating it?"

"Well, as it happens, I've made significant strides. Very significant. Instead of using the electricity from the storm, I resorted to mind waves from my assistant Charleston. As a result, I brought it that much closer to control."

This certainly was a development to hear. Could they have gone about this all wrong for all that time?

"Is that true?"

"Of course. But, uh, as you can see, it's put a strain on the machine."

Then, Carper got to thinking about his assistant. She was usually by his side whenever she checked on him. And yet, all she sensed was the lack of her presence thereof.

"And where is Charleston?"

"She's recuperating in her chamber. Evidently, it's put a strain on her mind, made her see things. Like a little girl inside the cube."

"A girl? Inside the cube of creation? But that's... absurd."

"That's what I thought. But then, I got to thinking. Maybe what she saw wasn't too far from the truth."

Carper began to see what he meant by that as well. For six years since they took power, it's done nothing but resist. What if she was behind it somehow?

"You're saying she's encountered... the Cube's line of defense?"

"More than that. She could've been interacting with the core itself. Thus, the hypothesis. If we use the brainwaves of one of our own, then we can easily subjugate it, because we know its best course of action to take."

Carper couldn't deny it was sound logic, but she wasn't blind to the drawbacks, either.

"Except for one thing. It almost destroyed your assistant's mind. What precautions are you going to take to make sure our minds aren't obliterated?"

"That, I will conduct. Just as soon as this machine is fixed. Expediency is key, after all."

Carper looked at the cube and became curious. How long has this city's scientists kept her a secret? And why? She began to wonder if Charleston knew the answer to that. Then, just as the idea struck her head, Pike arrived with One-One in hand as he made his presence known.

"Tinkerer. The Castigator has another task for you."

He only growled at the mention of that. How much work is going to be piled on him before he finishes?!

"What is it this time?"

"He needs you to study this prototype. He's quite literally two sides of the same coin."

Glad-One then piped up in his eagerness before Sad-One droned sadly.

"Oh-oh! Now say that he's got a sparkling personality."

"And a dismal one..."

The Tinkerer and Carper became surprised to see such a robot in front of them.

"What kind of robot is that?"

"It's nothing like the robots we have here."

"One of life's greatest mysteries, as he once quoted. That's why he has asked for you to investigate it once you complete the machine."

Carper, surprised as she was by One-One, spoke again to the Tinkerer.

"I see. Anyway, I'll be sure to update the Castigator on the matter of the machine."

The Tinkerer felt it was best for her to do so. He'd had enough of being the victim of his temper. Although, he still harbored more worry for his assistant, having been suffering a headache since the procedure.

"Very well. But I needn't remind you that if you go anywhere near Charleston..."

"Don't worry. I'll leave her in peace."

Carper exited the lab and then went to the elevator. From what she was told about the cube's core, there was only one way to find out more about it: the one who saw her. She was told not to go anywhere near her since a certain incident between the two of them occurred. But truth be told, she saw no other way to find out. So, she knew it was with no other choice as the elevator closed.

"But that doesn't mean I'd leave her alone..."

* * *

Back in the hideaway, Kierra was sitting by herself at the table, still thinking back on Tabitha's words. Tabitha gave her a lot to think about. Despite how much she suffered, she's still trying to find a way to go on. But all she wanted was a way out. It made her wonder. How could she be strong like her?

Meanwhile, the group was wondering something else. Penny heard her say Summer before at Lunch. She seemed real sad about it. She'd asked her before, but she never wanted to talk about it. So they were left to solve it themselves.

"Who do you think Summer is?"

Rexy has a theory about her as he tapped his finger on the table.

"Maybe she's her sister or something?"

Ava only glared at Rexy, knowing how passive he seemed to be about everything.

"This is serious, Rexy."

"So was I. I mean, think about it. Kierra was in such a hurry to get back to her family. Maybe that's it. I don't know about her parents, but she's gotta be missing her sister, right? You know about something like that, don't you?"

That is a good theory on Rexy's part, Ava had to admit it. If the roles were reversed, she'd do the same thing.

"Okay, I guess you've got a point."

Penny heard what Rexy said. How could she know about trying everything to get back to her family? She's on her own. Unless...

"Wait. Are you looking for your sister, too?"

Ava turned to Penny and explained herself as she made a small smile.

"Close. Remember when Rexy said we were on our own adventure? We're actually looking for my mum. She dropped me off in Rexy's car when I was just a baby. Since I heard about her, we've been trying to find her since."

"It's true. Ava and I've been friends for a long time. And hey, I'd always come through for her when she needed me. That's what friends do."

This made Penny realize how much they all had in common. They all wanted to see their families again, no matter what the situation was. And Penny wouldn't blame Kierra for how desperate she was. If she didn't know the truth, she might have done the same thing. She was angry, confused, and sad before. She wouldn't wish that on anyone else. She knew Kierra needed a friend, and for her sake, that's who she should be.

Penny got up from the table and tried to check with her. But by the time she did, Kierra was crying to herself on her arms, oblivious to the girl's movement towards her. Penny moved in to do a gentle tap on her shoulder with her finger. It took a moment, but Kierra took notice of the girl's attempt to get her attention and wiped her tears away before speaking to her.

"Oh. It's you. What is it?"

"Kierra... you miss Summer, don't you?"

Kierra only gave her a sad nod before Penny sat next to her on the table.

"I know it's sad to lose someone you love, but... please don't cry."

"How could I not? I didn't just lose Summer, I... I pushed her away. Now, she's never going to talk to me again, even if I do get out of here. I'm just the worst..."

Kierra was about to cry again, but Penny placed her small hand on Kierra's making her look to the little girl.

"My big brother thought he was the worst, too. He did something... very wrong. And I ran away. But he spent the whole time trying to find me again. When he did... he told me how much he loved me, and that he'd never break my heart again."

"And you believed him?"

"Mm-hmm. I know he's a good person. He was just scared. And Summer must know that you're a good person, too."

Kierra found it hard to believe as she retorted softly.

"How can you say that? You don't know anything about me."

"You wanted to see your family, didn't you?"

Kierra only turned her head away in shame before Penny made a light giggle, reassuring her it was nothing to fuss over.

"It's okay. That's the reason we're here, too. The Scarecrows took our families away, but we want to get them back. And we can't do that without you. So can you help us? Please?"

Kierra tried to resist, but her guilt wouldn't let her. Eventually, she only gave a small sigh before she held her hand out to Penny.

"Okay. I'll help. But as soon as we're done, we go our separate ways."

Penny didn't seem to mind that as she held her hand out to Kierra's and shook it.

"That's okay. I just want you to be happy again."

Kierra couldn't help but smile at the little girl. She's like the sister she never had. Then, she turned to Tabitha, who laid on the couch. She must've worked hard to keep the children she rescued smiling. And all on her own, no less. But she won't be on her own. Not anymore. Kierra walked over to Tabitha and sat by her on the couch before shaking her awake.

"Maria. Wake up."

Tabitha's eyes lifted to see Kierra sitting beside her with a sad look on her face. She must've felt bad since their earlier argument. It was a miracle nobody heard it out there.

"Kierra? What is it?"

"I... I wanted to tell you something. I've been through some personal stuff lately, back in my world and on the train. When I got out, after all that's happened, I swore I'd never go back there. But... if it means I'll never have to see them again, I'll help you."

Tabitha gave her a soft smile as she sat up before hugging her.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

Kierra returned the hug with a smile of her own before the group gathered around, the deer included as Dr. West spoke.

"So, what do we do now?"

Tabitha made the effort to stand up as she looked at the faces that believed she would guide them. After all she's been through for six years, her resolve was still as strong as ever. For her, one thing was clear as crystal.

"We're going to Nirvana City. And we're going to stop them... once and for all."

* * *

**A/N: And that was part two. The endgame will come up hopefully within the first few weeks of May. Also, after the end of this story, there will be a side story that will focus on Kierra, for those of you already attached to her. And the best part: it will be at a higher rating to allow for more... mature content. As for the cameo appearance of the deer (A.K.A. Alan Dracula), nobody knows how it was created, other than the fact that we know One-One made it on the train, so I took the opportunity to include him. But he won't stick around for long, because, well, you know deer. They do what they want. And for the cast of new characters, you can refer to the chart below.**

**Bella Ramsey - Ava**

**Nathan Lane - Rexy**

**Simon Pegg - Chain**

**Montserrat Hernandez - Kierra**

**AIDAM - Taika Waititi**

**Alyson Stoner - Summer**

**I hope you can all hang in there until the next chapter. :)**

**Update: I'm afraid I have some bad news. It might be a little while before another chapter gets released. As in, the 4th of July. It will mostly be because I'm making it long enough to have two parts added in (part 1 would be released that 4th of July), and pacing myself in the process so the chapter doesn't feel rushed. But I promise, it will be a big one. :)**


	14. The Resistance Car 1 of 2

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Sorry I couldn't post it earlier, but this was about the hardest chapter I've ever had to make on this story so far. It was so hard, in fact, that I only got this one part covered. Part II will have to come sometime in late August or early September. Anyway, here's where they plan to stop the Scarecrows and get things back in order. And you can expect to see how one lives on one side of the fence, as well as some development to occur from those on the other side. Whether they're bad or good, I can't say. But it will mean the outcome in part two of this chapter. And it's not even anywhere close to the end, so be prepared now before you read. But if you insist on reading anyway, just know that you've been warned…**

**Act II - Chapter XIII: **The Resistance Car Part 1

In the hideaway, Penny, Ava, Rexy, Kierra, Dr. West, and the deer (who was sitting on the floor) were at a table as Ms. Tabitha was pacing, trying to come up with a plan to stop the Scarecrows and to save the passengers. After resolving herself to help Tabitha, Kierra had laid out an underground map on the table from her time as their prisoner. She'd escaped before because of the layout she formed in her mind. But during said escape, Varicose found her and attempted to kill her. Of course, he'd failed, seeing as she was still barely in one piece. But it likely wouldn't make them give up without a fight. And after everything Tabitha had done to keep her alive since then, neither would she.

And the stakes were just as high for Penny. Her friends were just taken away by the Scarecrows, and she'd hate to think of what they could be doing to them. As luck would have it, though, she gained some new allies at the same time. Truth be told, she didn't know what would happen after today, but she'd rather not worry about it. All that mattered to her right now was to make sure Tulip and Bryce were safe, the same way they did for her... Meanwhile, Ms. Tabitha was processing what Kierra told her.

"So, you're saying that the passengers were holed up somewhere underground?"

"Yeah. Just underneath the building at the center of the city. We've been told it's to keep us safe from the acid rain."

Rexy and Ava found their word hard to believe, having been in this car as long as they have.

"But we've been in that rain."

"And the least that happened to us was that we got sopping wet."

Tabitha began to see the point Kierra was trying to make. The acid rain she dealt with when the Shutdown happened caused mass carnage to the train and those who dwelled in it. But this rain was different. Dr. West and Tabitha knew it just as well.

"They must be trying to keep everyone from noticing what they're really doing."

"Indeed. The grass is still destroyed, so it's safe to assume that the rain must be damaging them."

"Yeah, but they somehow fixed it so that the acid wouldn't get to them. They must've used the Cube of Creation for it to act differently."

Penny began to get confused with their logic. If all they wanted was the passengers, she didn't see a reason why the rest of the car should be desolate and ruined.

"But why would they mess up the car if they just wanted the passengers?"

Kierra turned to her and gave her a solemn look, having already figured out their endgame.

"It's because the car is so desolate that the passengers who end up here are scared. I know I was. The Scarecrows used it so that they'd get more of us under their thumb. But for what...? Why do they even need us if they treat us so badly?"

Tabitha took notice of Kierra's right hand tightening into a fist. She could tell it was all the more personal for her, and felt it best to settle it quickly. As much as she suffered, Tabitha didn't want Kierra to go through that pain any more than she needed to.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever they're planning, it won't work once we set everything straight, starting at the Cube."

Rexy then sat up as he held his claws out like the way a cat would.

"Yeah! Those Vultures have got nothing on these babies!"

Kierra admired his enthusiasm. Ordinarily, she'd even go along with it. But she knew that it'd take more than claws to get rid of them.

"It's not that simple, Rexy. A whole lot of claws wouldn't be able to get rid of them."

"Oh, come on. What can they do?"

To answer Rexy's cocky question, Kierra looked over to Dr. West and received a small nod from him. She then took a deep sigh before turning her back to them, reaching for the back of her shirt and jacket and pulling it up to reveal a stitched slash on her back, making Penny and Ava shocked as Rexy practically jumped back in fright as she stated its origin before Dr. West explained.

"See this? _They _did it to me. That big guy tried to kill me when I escaped."

"And if you thought that was bad, you should've seen how it was before I stitched it."

Penny remembered then just as quickly the memory of when she was nearly killed. She might've been dead if Atticus and the others didn't try to stop them. Even worse, she could hear his name in her mind when his compatriot checked with him about her hands.

"Varicose..."

Kierra took notice of Penny's fearful look when she heard that name. How could she know about him?

"You know his name?"

"Uh-huh. He tried to kill me when he found me. A-And then, Tulip and Bryce just—"

Ava took notice of Penny's faltering voice as well as her tears. It must've been too much for her. Ava tried to comfort her, but her moment of fear quickly passed as she took a deep breath and wiped her tears away before she spoke as if that faltering moment hadn't existed, which wasn't an easy thing for her to do.

"I know they're still alive. They've gotta be."

Kierra set her jacket and shirt back down as she continued on, getting back on the topic of what Scarecrows usually did.

"I don't doubt it. If it wasn't that long ago since they've been captured, they had to be taken to the leader by their guard first."

Tabitha, tired of being completely unable to know more about them other than their routine, wanted an answer sooner rather than later.

"And who's their leader?"

"They called him the Castigator. I don't think even Varicose would mess with him. Turns out, they have a certain order, a task. Like Varicose, the one who attacked me. He's the General of the group. Same with Pike, though I think 'Captain' would be more appropriate for him. And as far as Scarecrows go, where there's a captain, there's usually a guard, which would often be Varicose since he doesn't exactly trust anyone else."

Rexy didn't see much point in having a bodyguard in a city that was deserted.

"Well, what does he need one for? The whole city's deserted, isn't it?"

Tabitha, having done surveillance before when she wasn't rescuing passengers, had a different take on it.

"Not exactly. Because of the rain, there are days when they work out in the open, and days when they're not. The latter would be when it rains. If those passengers were caught above ground at the wrong time, they're taken away back down. I don't know what came after that."

Kierra took the opportunity to fill in the blanks.

"Well, I do. They're taken before the Scarecrows for punishment. I've even heard that they sometimes punished themselves if they failed."

Tabitha found it surprising that after all that, the passengers would be willing to stay.

"Well... some of them must've gotten away, right?"

"No. They didn't even try to get out. They knew what'd happen if the rain got to them. Or at least, they thought they did. Chain made sure of that."

"Chain?"

"He's in charge of conditioning the passengers when they don't believe the Castigator's word about them, or when those that did believe at first start to lose faith."

Tabitha didn't like the sound of that at all. If she thought the Scarecrows were bad before, this must cross the line.

"Conditioning? What do you mean by that?"

"Chain has a room where he hypnotizes people."

Penny tilted her head in confusion. She'd never heard of that word before, not even with her experience on the train, so Kierra helped clarify it for her.

"Hypnotize?"

"It's when he puts people in a trance. When they come back out, they're not the same."

This made Ava become weary about Kierra's own situation.

"Well, in that case, how do we know you're not the one who's been brainwashed?"

Kierra wasn't sure how to explain that to them. Even she had trouble understanding why.

"I... I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"All I know is when Chain tried to hypnotize me, I was... seeing things. Maybe that's what kept me from going under."

Hearing this, Penny began to get concerned. If Tulip and Bryce were brought before the Castigator by now, it's obvious that they'd say no to him after what almost happened to her. And if they did...

"Wait. Does that mean... Tulip and Bryce are gonna be hypnotized?"

Tabitha didn't know what to tell her. With what Kierra knew, there's no mistake about it. But that doesn't mean there can't be a way to reverse it. Still, they'd have to cross the bridge if they come to it, and at the moment, it appears to be a big if. Nonetheless, she didn't want to break her heart.

"Don't worry, Penny. We'll find a way to help them."

"But how?"

Tabitha gave a firm smile as she gently brushed her hair back.

"Because I have a plan."

Not long after, Penny, Kierra, Dr. West, Rexy, Ava (who now had a bright blue backpack), and the deer were lined up as Tabitha tried to lay down the roles everyone each had been given to take back the car. The underground map Kierra made helped plan out the course. That, and the routines the guards and passengers usually followed through on.

"Okay. Here's how we're going to stop them. The guard at the entrance only allows people with numbers inside. The key to getting in is someone with a number here to get us in. Naturally, Kierra would be able to help us out with that."

Kierra gave a nod to Tabitha as she went on with the plan while picking up her map from the table.

"And while she gets access, Ava, Rexy, and I will follow her using my cloak. It should be able to get us past that shield. But I know not all of us would be able to fit in the cloak. So, the others will have to go about it differently. Penny, you and Dr. West will have to dig a tunnel that leads under the city. Kierra's map should help you pinpoint where they're keeping the other passengers, and we can lead them away."

Tabitha handed Dr. West the map that Kierra made as he pondered about their ability to free them. If what Kierra said was true, then they wouldn't be as willing to go with them.

"But how are we supposed to break them out of that trance? We don't exactly have a lot to work with that can help."

Tabitha placed her hand on Dr. West's shoulder as she gave him a soft smile.

"You're the greatest Doctor I know, West. I know you can think of something."

Hearing those words of encouragement, West couldn't help but blush, much to Penny's fascination. She saw that blush before from Tulip and Bryce, and she could tell what it meant. She even began to giggle, but forced herself not to let it out as she didn't want to be insensitive. In that moment, Tabitha looked back to Penny before she knelt down to her.

"And Penny. This is very important. I need you to stay with Dr. West the whole way. You can look for your friends, but if they find you before then, you have to run as far as you can."

Penny began to feel hurt to have been asked this. She knew her heart was in the right place, but the last time she ran, Tulip and Bryce were captured. Who knows what could happen the next time she chose to run away? Her shaking voice showed she did not take well to it at all.

"What? B-But why?"

"Because the Scarecrows are relentless. You know what they could do to you."

Penny did know. It wasn't a very good memory to have. She could practically still hear Varicose's voice roaring as he drew his sword at her throat. But even worse, she remembered Tulip and Bryce's shout, telling her to run. She didn't have a choice last time, but she was determined not to let it happen again. She began to speak to Tabitha in her raised voice of determination.

"Yeah. And I also know what they could do to Tulip and Bryce! I can't just let them—!"

Tabitha didn't want to argue about it any longer and just wanted to get to the point, firmly placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me. I know how much they mean to you. But I made a promise to your mother to keep you safe. If anything happened to you, I would _never _forgive myself...! I-I promised...!"

As Tabitha tried to resist the urge to cry, Penny gently moved her hands off of her shoulders before speaking to her gently.

"It's okay. I'm not just a scared, little girl anymore. I'll be okay."

Tabitha could tell she meant every word of it. And she wanted to believe every one. But doubt wouldn't let her.

"But... but how can you be so sure? You don't know what can happen."

"So? We never know what's gonna happen. If we get scared of that all the time, how can we grow up? We all have to try sometime. Maybe that way... we'll realize how lucky we've been to do it. You taught me that."

Tabitha's eyes widened from hearing this. It was clear that Penny came a long way from being the shy, little girl she once was. On countless occasions, she'd always hide behind a corner or a leg, but now, here she is, willing to stand out and to stand firm. What happened to Penny for her to be so mature for someone so young? Tabitha began to smile as she spoke proudly.

"When did you get so wise?"

Penny smiled back at her with her own smile.

"I had a good teacher."

Kierra looked on at the moment between Tabitha and Penny. She had to wonder how she became so brave when she was just a little girl. Going back by itself was enough to scare her. Why wasn't she as scared as she was? Kierra knew she had to find out the answer to that after this, smiling to herself as the girl's determination rubbed off on her. Then, she became confused about how the tunnel would come in.

"Okay, I think we're clear on the plan, but how do we make a tunnel under the city? The shovels would take too long, and the Scarecrows would find us by then."

In that moment, Dr. West immediately pointed out the solution in the form of the deer as he chuckled.

"Simple. We'll make a new tunnel the same way we made the first one. With this majestic deer."

Kierra looked to the deer in confusion. She failed to see how it could make a tunnel fast enough, if at all.

"The deer? How could it make a tunnel? With hooves?"

"Au contraire, my friend. Behold!"

Dr. West began to clasp onto one of its antlers before pulling down on it. But when he tried, the deer resisted him, much to his frustration.

"Come on...! You did it before... Behold!"

Again, the deer resisted him. Kierra was already lost on the point of how tugging on a deer's antlers would make a tunnel.

"Yeah, I don't see how that's supposed to make a tunnel."

Penny had an idea on how to solve that problem as she walked towards the deer. She didn't think the deer wanted to have his antlers pulled on for the tunnel, judging from his resistance. Maybe a different approach should be taken. Penny looked up to Dr. West and inquired of him.

"Can I see the map, please?"

"Uh, sure. But..."

Before he could ask why, Penny took the map from West's hands and showed it to the deer.

"Excuse me. Can you make a tunnel under the city for us, Mr. Deer? Like the map says?"

As Penny showed Kierra's map to the deer, specifically to where the passengers were, Dr. West saw what she was trying to do, and while it was worth a try, he didn't find it worthwhile.

"Aw, Penny. That's adorable, but he's not gonna—"

Suddenly, the deer began tilting its head back and forth rapidly, shaking his arm off of its antler before lowering its head and walking towards a wall of dirt, swiftly parting the rocks and dirt in its way to drill a hole that kept on going with it. The deer's bizarre ability left the group surprised and puzzled, especially Dr. West and Kierra as Penny handed the map back to him.

"I stand corrected."

"Okay, what kind of deer is he?"

"Well, assuming that he actually listened, the deer that's digging a tunnel under the city."

With that part of the plan already underway, Tabitha continued onward, holding out a small flash drive in her hand.

"Good. While they rescue the passengers from underground, I'll try to locate the cube of creation and install this failsafe. Once it's hooked up, it should reset the car and boot the scarecrows out of power for good."

Impressed as she was about the deer's new ability, and the merit of Tabitha's plan, Kierra had to wonder about the other part of the plan.

"Well, it's all well and good. But how am _I _supposed to go to the city without being spotted by the Scarecrows?"

Just then, a booming voice from above responded to them.

"Of all the rotten luck!"

Hearing his voice, Penny began to make a small gasp, for she recognized that voice all too well as she went closer to Dr. West's leg for safety. All the while, Tabitha began to fear the worst.

"I don't think it's going to be possible."

Kierra felt as though she was rushed into it. They didn't have enough time to go over it. And even worse, the one who almost killed her was just above them.

"O-On second thought, I'm not sure I can—"

"It'll be okay, Kierra. I'll be right behind you."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

Kierra wasn't sure she could manage so soon. She'd much rather go home. But then, she remembered how Penny was willing to help. If a little girl could stock it out a little longer, she didn't see any reason why she can't. Penny was well-aware of it as well, giving her a nod as she spoke.

"It'll be okay. We can help you."

Somehow, it was all that Kierra needed to hear. And little by little, she regained her courage before she sighed.

"Okay. Let's do it."

Above the ground, Varicose was pacing around, frustrated with Chain earning the Castigator's favor. He saw no point in wasting time with words and found that action produces much better results. And yet, Chain's idea was chosen over his. It was infuriating to him.

"Words are nothing more than a waste of time. It's his fault the Renegade's still out there in the first place..."

While he mumbled, Kierra peeked through the door to see Varicose. His was a face that she did not wish to remember. If Dr. West hadn't found her in the nick of time, it might've been the last one she ever saw. But as much as she hated to go near him again, the plan relied on her to give herself up. It might not have under a different circumstance, but it wasn't the point. And she knew it. But then, she remembered something.

The last time she and Varicose saw each other, she had an open back wound from his sword. If he notices the stitch, it'll blow her cover. She turned to the back of her jacket, seeing a dark stain on the back of it where her wound resided. As long as he doesn't look under it, she should be okay. Still, the idea unnerved her as she looked towards Tabitha for reassurance. By that time, she was all set up with Ava and Rexy beside her with the cloak hovering over them.

"We'll follow you every step of the way. I promise."

Kierra, nervous as she was, gave a smile to her before turning to the door while Tabitha lowered the cloak and hid herself, Ava, and Rexy, turning themselves invisible as Penny and Dr. West looked on. Kierra gave herself a deep breath's moment to brace herself for what would happen. Once she affirmed herself, Kierra grasped the handle of the doorknob and opened it, catching Varicose's attention as he turned to see her.

"Huh? What in the—?"

Varicose's surprise then turned into anger when he noticed her. That rebellious traitor holed herself up there of all places since her escape. She must not have been able to go very far with her wound.

"You again. Still trying to run, are you?"

If Kierra was to have any hope of stopping them for good, she needed to be convincing. With that in mind, Kierra replied in feigned despair.

"No... I'm done running."

Despite her tone, Varicose took it as a threat, pointing his sword at her throat.

"Is that a challenge?!"

Kierra started to get shaken up by the gesture, but it didn't take too long for her to regain her composure.

"N-No. What I meant was I'll join you."

Varicose began to get confused by her words. Typically, passengers who escape don't plan on coming back. Then again, no passenger has escaped before her. Kierra reiterated herself for clarity when his surprise lasted longer than it should.

"I'm turning myself in. I was a fool for trying to run. There's nothing left for me... except to be a Scarecrow."

Varicose's surprise went up in fever pitch as he drew his sword away. It was practically too easy. Maybe it was... Varicose has to be sure.

"What proof do you have that I should believe you?"

Varicose got Kierra stuck there for the moment. Then, she remembered where Chain's chamber was. If Penny and Dr. West could get there in time, maybe they'd help her out. It's a gamble, but it could work.

"I'll let Chain put me under this time. It'll be easier after what I've been through. Trust me."

This made Varicose do a double-take. The last thing he wanted was anything to do with Chain. Even if he did get her under, he'd take the credit from him, again. That was something he could not allow.

"That won't be necessary. You're coming with me."

Varicose wasted no time taking her arm and dragging her with him. Kierra didn't have enough time to react, so she was quickly taken by surprise. Little did he know that Ms. Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy were now beginning to follow them under the Invisible cloak. Penny and Dr. West couldn't tell if they left, but they knew if they had the opportunity to follow, it would be now. Although, Penny felt it best to take a look just to be safe. When she did, peeking through the open door, she noticed Ava and Rexy lifting the back of it to reveal themselves and Tabitha's legs as they whisper-shouted to her.

"You can do this, Penny."

"It's all in the bag."

Penny smiled and nodded back to them before heading back down the stairs just as Ava, Rexy, and Tabitha proceeded to follow Varicose and Kierra. When Penny came back down, Dr. West wanted to know how the plan was coming along.

"Is it working?"

"Mm-hmm."

Knowing the importance of the task ahead, as well as the difficulty to see without light, Dr. West got a flashlight from the table and shone it on the deer's makeshift tunnel.

"Good. The deer must've gotten a lot farther ahead by now. Let's pick up the pace."

"Okay."

With that, Dr. West and Penny moved in the tunnel, hoping to find the passengers and her friends on the other side.

* * *

Meanwhile in Nirvana City's underbelly, Tulip and Bryce were being walked in an underground tunnel after emerging from the elevator. Tulip was told before from the Castigator that the lack of restraints didn't mean they'd be able to leave. And he wasn't kidding. Almost everywhere they looked in the cave, there's a black-cloaked guard, each with a metal visor over their eyes posted while they held their axes firmly. It was almost like a dungeon. Perhaps it was... Either way, this situation was a grave one.

As they marched past the guards, Tulip and Bryce didn't know if they'd be able to find a way out of this. The sights as they looked around only got worse. On their right, nearby a large mineral deposit, there was a group that stood firm while a man in a black cloak with a bald head spoke to them.

"Passengers need dignity, and the will to accept what the Scarecrows have decided for them."

Not long after he said this, the people that sat down spoke in unison, almost as though they were in a trance, followed by an equally unsettling prose from the man.

"Devoted are we to the path they decide."

"Eden lies in the evening sky. The clouds are black about her. I am here, Lady Eden. I am running through the barren fields. Oh, take me with you. Dropping behind the ruins, far away, to the heart of the light, the silence. For I am ready to give you my breath, my _life_."

Tulip and Bryce weren't quite sure what made them think like this. Did they lose all hope? They must have, or the Castigator wouldn't have been true to his word. And who was this Eden he spoke about? Most likely a figure created by the Scarecrows, it would appear. Either way, at least Penny didn't have to suffer the sight of such squalor, wherever she might be. Amidst this, Tulip couldn't help being worried over them, and what could happen to themselves, urging Bryce to try to comfort her.

"So that's where everyone was... and that's where we're gonna be, isn't it?"

"We won't end up like them, Tulip. We'll get out of here. Hopefully sooner rather than later."

Tulip nodded to him, trying to keep her spirits up. Just then, the two of them heard Chain's voice pipe up.

"Stop. We're here."

Tulip and Bryce turned to their left to see a cell door, and on the other side of it was a room with two AIDAMS by the entrance. It looked plain and weary with scratches and indented marks, as if someone punched or slammed on the grey walls. There were also 4 old, ripped-up, black leather office chairs lined up in a row against the desk by the wall near the doorway, a loud clicking wall clock over the row of chairs, and a few old ripped posters of positive nature that littered the walls. To make matters worse, some were graffitied over with bizarre propaganda and mottos.

For instance, one poster that would've said "Have a Pleasant Day" now said "Have a FEARFUL Day". Another example included the words, "HITCHHIKERS ARE SCUM". They don't appear to be forgiving toward them, and it proved to be a good thing that Penny got away. Beside those posters on the wall was a picture in a frame on the right wall near the row of chairs that showed some scientists with red words painted painted over them saying "Liars" on it. The final addition to the room was a dead potted plant in the corner near the picture. Tulip didn't know how to feel about the room in general, but Bryce didn't like the look of it at all. He turned to Chain in his attempt to protest.

"You expect us to just wait in there?"

"No. Just you."

Quickly, Chain shoved Bryce into the room, knocking him to the floor much to Tulip's concern as she tried to go and help him up.

"Bryce!"

Before she could get to him, however, Chain held tightly on her arm, making her struggle to get free as he spoke, trying to dissuade her from doing so.

"Uh-uh. Ladies first. What am I, if not a gentleman?"

Tulip only glared at him before trying to force him to release her with her elbow on his arm. When she tried to elbow his arm, however, Chain gripped her other arm and pulled her close, speaking with a sinister tone as Bryce recovered from the push to notice Chain trapping her.

"Now, now. Struggle is pointless. But Tulip is welcome to try if helps pass time."

Tulip's eyes widened. She hadn't told the Scarecrows her name at all. How did he figure it out?

"How do you know my name?"

Chain only replied to her by pulling Tulip away from the door before it began to close on Bryce as he tried to get to them.

"Tulip!"

Before he could get to the door, however, the AIDAMS stopped him with their staves blocking his path as he tried to push them away, but to no effect as the door closed on him. Tulip was becoming more and more frightened of what could happen as Chain got her attention with the clock of his tongue.

"Don't feel bad. You'll see him again very soon. Come."

Chain then went to another door adjacent to the one that closed on Bryce. Tulip had been through a lot of doors since being on the train. But out of all of them, she knew the door that closed her off from Bryce was the worst. And she didn't want to imagine what door number two would hold.

"Welcome to my chamber."

She expected the worst when Chain opened it, but what she found was a great contrast. In fact, it looked extravagant. It had a polished wooden table with candy treats in bowls, fancy curtains, comfy couches, and a soft lighting from a big window that shone on one of the chairs. Tulip assumed it was because they must've gotten special treatment there. Whatever the case, she couldn't help but be in awe from the layout. Her attention would've dwelled longer if Chain didn't break her concentration.

"Come, sit. You must've traveled a long way, yes?"

Tulip cautiously followed Chain inside his chamber and sat in the chair where the lighting shone in as he sat down in his adjacent chair and took a small peppermint from the bowl and opened it before placing one in his mouth. While he swirled it in his mouth, Tulip did her best to make sense of what she was doing here and why Bryce couldn't come with. The Castigator told him to take them to his chamber. Was he still trying to win them over? And if so, why would he go through this trouble? To answer her thought, Chain spoke to her curiously.

"You must often be stressed, yes? I know the feeling. Is difficult being voice of reason in such crazed world."

Tulip knew he was right about one thing, if only one. She had been through a lot. And since realizing what her stress almost got her into, she tried not to let herself worry about it.

"Yeah. I try not to be."

"Hmm. And how have you been doing so far?"

Tulip didn't feel obligated to answer him. It was her own business. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but show that it was difficult as she sighed. Chain seemed to read through it as he commented on it.

"I apologize for comrades Pike and Varicose. When Hitchhiker involved, they go agro. We don't always forgive and forget when car was ruined."

Tulip then recalled the posters on the wall that proved Chain's point. The way they acted was unjustifiable. It was as if they thought themselves superior, that every one of the hitchhikers that they meet would be against them. But there's no way Penny could be like that; she's just a girl. And yet, Osore did try to terrorize them up until now. Maybe it would be best to look out for hitchhikers in that regard. Penny was told the same thing about passengers, after all. As Tulip was entering in deep thought over this, Chain noticed her gloved hand and saw that her left one had no number. This made him quite suspicious to say the least.

"Forgive me for being obtrusive, but why cover your hand?"

Tulip snapped out of her thought when she heard this. She tried to keep the stress off of the number, but Chain had to bring it up. She wasn't sure if she could trust him to begin with, but that subject crossed the line. She looked back at Chain and tried to change the subject as she noticed his outfit.

"I don't know. Why do you dress up like a creep? Are you guys some kind of goths trying to scare people or something?"

Chain took a look at his outfit and snarled at her. Maybe it wasn't her intention as far as he was concerned, but it still offended him. She must be trying to hide something, but what? He began to press her, trying to keep his composure.

"The Castigator already told you story. But you still haven't told me about your number."

Tulip was still not in the mood to talk about that subject. And she found it hard to believe that they actually cared about passengers. Again, she tried to change the topic.

"Maybe you haven't told me the _whole _story. How did the Hitchhikers destroy this car? And why do you even need us in the first place?"

Chain began to find it all the more irritating. She _must _be hiding something. But why? Pike and Varicose informed the Castigator that she and Bryce had numbers. It has to be futile not to expose it if they know. Unless...

"So many questions... and yet, no answer from you. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're scared that we'd find out who you really are..."

To be sure, Chain reached his long claw for Tulip's glove. But before he could grab it, Tulip pulled it away in desperation, snapping in a loud voice.

"WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT MY NUMBER, ANYWAY?! IT ISN'T ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Chain was momentarily startled from her outburst as he staggered back. But it became clear to him. He began to smirk in interest, placing his finger on his chin.

"Ah. I see... No wonder you're so stressed."

"Uh, yeah. It's because you keep pestering me about my number."

"False. It's because your number itself is the source of your stress."

Tulip held her gloved hand closer to her, not willing to believe his word. But then again, it was the truth.

"You got worked up over it before, and it got you trouble. So, you're struggling to resist the temptation to look, to stop yourself from worrying. And it's only going to get harder."

Tulip was aware of the risks. She didn't need him to remind her.

"So?"

"So, you're convinced that by looking at it, you'd end up handing your destiny over to it."

Tulip thought it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Although, it did sum up how she felt. Tulip began to let her gloved hand draw away from her, not sure how to stop her constant worrying as she sighed.

"I... I think you're right. I don't like it, but you're right."

All the while, Chain saw his chance and acted on the opportunity.

"I thought I might be. Now, let me ease mind on one thing. I want to help you, so you can believe me when I say this. Numbers are nothing to be scared of. They don't control your path. Not your future, not your choices, not anything."

In that moment, Tulip began to hear voices in her head. Familiar voices... It's almost as if she could hear her parents' voices. Maybe she was.

_Take back your control._

_Don't let your numbers cloud your mind._

Tulip began to feel strange from those words. No, strange wouldn't be the word for it. She felt... relief.

"They don't?"

"No. They are nothing more than accessories. The Scarecrows recognize this. And they help all the passengers do the same."

She began to hear more voices in her head. This time, they came from her friends. Tulip heard Bryce's voice before hearing Mikayla's.

_Leave your frustrations behind. They're holding you back_

_Don't let anyone tell you how to feel._

It's almost as though their words were actually making her feel calm. The anger and distrust she had started to melt away. Her mind began to see the Scarecrows in a different picture. They were leading the Scarecrows to sanctuary before eating a grand feast beside them instead of leading them to captivity. It seemed out of nowhere for Tulip to think that, but as much as she tried to shake it off, it couldn't go away. Where did it even come from?

"The Scarecrows... help people..."

"Yes, they do. And perhaps, if you joined the Scarecrows yourself, you might do the same. You can be strong, like us, and help others be strong."

Another set of voices came one at a time. And they came from one voice that is most recent, Bobby.

_The train is nothing but a toy that you can control._

"Be strong... and help others be..."

Tulip was about to finish, but before she could, she heard a sinister voice: Osore's.

_Let others be afraid, while you yourself have no fear._

"...afraid?"

The instant that word left her lips, a sudden surge struck her. Her eyes widened at the sensation. Tulip began to groan from the flood of gnashing pain that assaulted her. Chain looked on in curiosity as she held her head.

"What is wrong?"

Tulip could not answer. Her mind began to see darker things... She began to receive the most unsettling flashbacks in her mind. For instance, she recalled when she was attacked by a cockroach-dog hybrid at the Grid car. Another example was when she had to stop One-One from fixing the Turtle Car. Unfortunately, her mind didn't stop at flashbacks. She began to see herself consumed entirely by numbers. Tulip grunted in pain as she tried to make sense of it.

"W-What's going on...?!"

The pain only became worse before it got better. Along with Tulip witnessing her "parents'" rejection all over again, it flickered in and out with the both of them being on fire and screaming at her as her mother's shrill voice pierced her heart yet again.

_How could you hurt us like this?!_

Tears began to stream from Tulip's eyes, her nails digging into her head. Chain began to get concerned over this as it seemed to be tearing Tulip apart.

"Stop! Stop thinking, Tulip! It's too much! Just let go!"

Alas, Chain's plea fell on deaf ears. Tulip began to see one flashback after another, ranging from her and her friends' first encounter with Night Shroud to when she gave herself up to save Penny from Varicose. In that moment, she also began to see one more memory. She saw herself as a little girl, younger than she could remember. And she happened to be visited by not only her parents, a man with short, raven hair, a grey shirt, and black pants. What's more, his voice echoed into her mind.

"_I can already tell. You're going to do great things for your parents, little flower."_

Those last two words echoed in her mind as Tulip gave out one last cry of agony, forced to ride out the worst of the pain. Unfortunately, it was too much for her. Not long after her scream, Tulip's eyes fell heavy and her body with them. Chain was in utter fright of what had happened in front of him. Fearing the worst, he ran over to Tulip and looked at her head from both angles for any sign of death. Fortunately, no sign was to be found from her head, but one can assume that her arms might be a different story.

Chain began to take a look to verify that she had a pulse. Another stroke of luck came, for he found a pulse inside Tulip. It was a miracle.

"Oh, thank goodness you're still alive."

And yet, he couldn't help but feel it to be too familiar. Chain looked back to the window where the lighting shone from and gently set Tulip down before going towards it. Chain opened said window and reached for the light before clutching onto it and pulling it out to reveal a small disc-like device. It had speakers on both sides and a small orb in the middle from where the lighting originated from. He had to be sure nothing was wrong with it.

"Hmm. It doesn't appear broken. But then, how could she...?"

Beginning to remember the last time someone resisted his control, Chain looked back to Tulip and began to grin curiously.

"Hmm... she has a stronger will than I expected. Almost as strong as... Kierra."

Chain practically hissed that name when he'd spoken it, and his face was angry for a moment. But he regained his composure as he set the device back where he'd taken it from as he walked over to his patient.

"But not strong enough... like Charleston. But, just to be safe... I'll add in some precautionary measures..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Charleston was lying on her bed. She was still recovering from her latest experiment with the Tinkerer concerning the cube. She was still trying to make sense of what she saw inside the cube. Could he have been right? Did she imagine it? She probably would've found the answer by now if it hadn't been for her headache.

Her initial travel into the cube apparently took a lot out of her. Charleston was aware that it required brain waves, but she didn't think it would hurt this much. Maybe it was a side effect of the procedure. He must not have known about it before he tried it out. But headaches weren't the only side effect. Charleston was beginning to hear and see things. For instance, she could hear a familiar voice as she saw a figure resembling herself handing a child over to a raven-haired woman before running away from the AIDAMS as their voices echoed.

"_Just do what I said, Maria! Find the survivors, keep Penny safe, and get out!"_

"_But you'll die!"_

"_I know, but I'd rather die than live in a world without you in it!"_

Charleston groaned even more as the event continued to play back. As a mental flash came up in her mind, the doppelganger continued to run from the AIDAMS until she managed to find a corner of a building and lose them. And it wasn't long before she searched for someone after.

"_Aden! Where are you?!"_

As her voice echoed, Charleston began to see a drastic change. Her lookalike went inside the building, hoping to find some sign of this Aiden person. Instead, she received a reception with the Scarecrows, who were not exactly pleased to see her. All of which, except for one. The Tinkerer. Out of all of them, he was the most worried for her as their voices shouted out from Pike's to Stockwell's to Cain's to Varicose's.

"_Hitchhiker!"_

"_You wretched traitor!"_

"_You dirty liar!"_

"_You'll die for this!"_

_The girl became scared, but the Tinkerer stepped in for her defense._

"_Wait, Castigator! She could be of use to us!"_

"_Please. What possible use could she have?"_

"_She's one of the scientists who was working on the Cube of Creation. If you put her under my charge, I'm sure we can find a way to subjugate the cube."_

_The Tinkerer's face appeared desperate as he said this. Though, his words did make sense to him. Not only would that guarantee that the Scarecrows have total power, but it'll also make for delicious irony._

"_Is that so? Well, then. Chain, prepare the scientist."_

Charleston then received another flash to show the girl in a chamber as Chain spoke to her while a white light shone on her.

"_You see, a hitchhiker caused this disaster to happen. But I'm sure if you join the Scarecrows, you can help make it right."_

_She was quickly buying into what Chain was telling her. It seemed to be all she wanted._

"_I can help... make it right."_

While the girl succumbed to his words, another mental flash came that showed what she wanted to achieve. She saw the wasteland that it'd become turn back into the car it used to be as Chain spoke to her.

"_Good. I think you can take a nap and think on it more. I promise. You'll feel like a new woman..."_

As his last word echoed, Charleston saw the doppelganger now dressed in her exact robe as she repeated the last few words in a sort of trance.

"_A new woman..."_

After seeing this flash, Charleston snapped herself awake. She couldn't believe what she'd seen. She didn't have these dreams before. Why could she be having them now? Unless they weren't dreams... they were memories.

Charleston looked down at herself as she noticed her attire and her numberless hand. What happened to her...?

"What's happened to me?"

Just then, in that moment, a feminine voice spoke to her.

"That's what I've been wondering."

Charleston turned around to see Carper by her door. She let out a short gasp of surprise before Carper walked in the room. Charleston wasn't sure she liked it, but the look on her face didn't seem hostile. Carper sat down on the adjacent bed as she spoke to her softly.

"You don't have to be nervous. I was just checking on you. The Tinkerer said you... saw something in the cube. A little girl, I believe?"

Charleston's eyes widened when she heard those words. Now, she's beginning to wonder what she'd done. Afraid to find out the answer, Charleston drew herself slightly away from Carper as she tried to confirm it with her word.

"Is that true? Charleston?"

She didn't comprehend how or why, but Charleston gave a nod to Carper. This gave her a surprised look. No wonder the cube resisted them. They were torturing it up until now... She began to have a sympathetic look, though indecipherable due to the metal visor over her eyes for whatever this child was as she responded.

"I see. But... there's still more I need to know about the cube. Why is that girl so important?"

Charleston could tell she was being sincere about her questions, like she truthfully wanted to understand. She didn't know who these Scarecrows were, or why they tried to off her before the Tinkerer stepped in, but Charleston noticed something about her that made her more trustworthy in opposition to the rest. Although, she wanted to make something plain to her first.

"Before I tell you, you should know something. Charleston isn't my first name. My first name... is Bailey."

Carper's eyes widened in curiosity.

"What? I thought hitchhikers didn't have last names..."

Before Carper could press her on that information, the Castigator's voice spoke up from behind.

"Carper!"

She promptly turned around, nervous for him to think of what she was doing with her.

"Oh, Castigator! I-I was just introducing myself to Ms. Charleston."

"That can wait. I have a much more important task for you. You will come with me... to the underground."

This made Carper's eyes widen in intrigue. The lowest she'd gotten before now was always the lab. Why would he ask her to go down below?

"The underground? What's going on?"

"It's for your ears only. It's best not to say in front of Charleston."

"Oh. Right."

Carper then looked towards Bailey as she spoke.

"I'll, uh... I'll be seeing you again soon."

Carper then took her leave alongside the Castigator as Bailey looked on. The woman stood up and continued to watch as they went to the elevator. She'd only recently woken up, in a matter of speaking, and there was a lot going on that she didn't realize. She may not know right now, but she's going to find out soon enough.

"What is going on here...? Maybe he could tell me."

With that, Bailey proceeded onwards to the hall, hoping to find the one who stood by her side for answers about his actions: the Tinkerer.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the city, Varicose was taking Kierra back inside it as Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy followed her under the invisible cloak. Kierra didn't necessarily find it a good idea after what she went through, but she decided to suck it up, because she knew that there will be people that can help her. And three of those people were right behind her. During the walk to the barrier, Varicose began to speak to her, almost suspiciously.

"So, uh... about that wound..."

Kierra began to her nervous. She got worried that he might get wise to her plan. But what he said next was quite the surprise.

"It suits you."

Kierra drew a mental breath of relief, though she couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

"Huh?"

"Consider it your Mark. You're one of us, now. It's only fitting that you wear it like us."

"Oh. I see."

When they got to the barrier, the AIDAM in charge of it noticed Varicose and Kierra and did its usual job.

"May I see your number, please?"

Varicose was about to hold his wrist out, but considering Kierra's newfound willingness to cooperate, he had a different idea in mind.

"Actually... care to do the honors?"

Kierra looked up to Varicose in surprise. He was acting surprisingly generous in opposition to how he'd acted to her last time. She imagined that he must've gotten chewed out by the Castigator. Nonetheless, it was going according to plan, so she played along with him, holding her hand out to show her number of "247" before the robot scanned it. After the robot scanned it, it looked at the monitor that displayed a picture of her in her current outfit, as well as the name below it that said "Kierra Alvarez" before showing her number beside the image. After which, a check mark came over her picture with the words, "Access Granted" popping up over it as the AIDAM spoke.

"Access granted. Please enter."

The barrier's doors then lifted themselves up with Varicose giving a proud chuckle.

"Welcome to the crew, Passenger."

The two of them proceeded to walk through the barrier's opening with Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy following them, though the dinosaur was having trouble not getting nervous about being locked out of the barrier.

"Oh, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up..."

Afraid that his whimpering would expose them, Ava and Tabitha shushed him simultaneously with a whisper.

"Quiet!"

"Sorry..."

The trio pressed on into the barrier, hoping that they wouldn't trigger any alarms. Fortunately, as luck would have it, the AIDAM didn't notice them, and they successfully snuck into the city behind Kierra and Varicose just as the barrier closed down, relieving the tiny T-Rex.

"Phew! I told ya we'd get in."

Ava gave a smug look to Rexy, knowing how worried he was a few seconds before.

"Sure you did."

While the trip followed Varicose and Kierra, Tabitha's eyes looked around at what used to be the beauty of Nirvana City. Her eyes couldn't hold back their sadness from seeing the Art Deco buildings so dismal and ruined. Ava and Rexy couldn't believe what they were seeing, either. It's one thing to be told about how this car was affected, but to see it... It was so much worse than what they imagined.

"No... how could they do this?"

"It all looks so... sad."

"We're really gonna boot out the Scarecrows for _this_? Talk about your fixer-upper."

Tabitha turned to Rexy with a small glare, but it wasn't meant for him.

"It wasn't always like this. But if we get rid of them, we'll be able to put it back to normal. I'm just glad Penny didn't see this..."

Speaking of Penny, Rexy had to wonder how things went on her end.

"I wonder how far she is. She's probably ahead of us by now."

* * *

Deep underground, Dr. West led the way in the tunnel with Penny following him. With how far the deer had gone, he began to wonder if there really was ever an end to it.

"I'm starting to think that deer might be more trouble than it's worth. This tunnel looks like it could be hours before we get under the city. Maybe even days."

Hearing about it, Penny became curious about it. She hadn't seen it before, even with her father's tape. And it did a lot of things she didn't think it could do.

"Dr. West, where did you find the deer?"

Dr. West turned to the little girl before answering her, still remembering the merits it offered them as they traveled deeper and deeper.

"Actually, it found _us_. One day, when Tabitha was doing another rescue, she was ambushed. She couldn't find her way back, not with those marauders chasing after her. And then, just when she thought she couldn't make it, that deer came to her rescue. It helped her to hide from the Scarecrows by turning itself invisible."

Hearing this, Penny remembered the invisibility cloak Tabitha used not too long ago.

"Oh, you mean like Ms. Tabby's cloak?"

"Precisely. That deer gave Tabitha a hand in coming up with it. It's how she's managed to evade the Scarecrows much better since then."

Penny began to smile, remembering when Tabitha was teaching her about deer. She was told before about how one saved her life. The deer that made this tunnel must be the same one that saved her.

"And it must be how she was teaching us about deer back at the orphanage, too. Because it saved her."

"Yes. Though, I still don't understand how it could listen to you."

"Huh? What do you mean? All I did was ask nicely."

"That's just the point. You may not know this, Penny, but the deer isn't the most cooperative. No matter how many times we asked nicely, it always did what it wanted. It even gave Tabitha a hard time when she was studying it for her cloak until she gave it fresh grass from the orphanage. Evidently, there wasn't a lot of room in there for directions other than that."

Penny wasn't fully aware of the concept of figures of speech, so she became confused understandably quickly.

"A lot of room in where?"

"Oh, never mind. You'll see what I mean, soon."

Right as they finished that conversation, Penny and Dr. West took notice of a light coming in at the end. Apparently, time flies when one talks in a tunnel.

"Wait a minute. I see light!"

"It must be the end of the tunnel! If only the deer was this helpful all the time!"

Dr. West and Penny began to run closer to that light, expecting to meet the passengers that have been located under the city. The closer they got to it, the brighter it became. They had to be getting closer. But when they got closer, Penny and Dr. West saw the light being split into two, like two small flashlights.

"Huh? What's up with the light?"

When they got close enough to it, the answer snorted in their faces. It was the deer's eyes shining on them. It must've been waiting for them after it finished the tunnel. Though, it didn't mean that wouldn't inconvenience Penny and Dr. West as the latter grumbled.

"See, Penny? This is exactly what I was talking about."

Just then, they heard a strange gruff voice from beyond the deer's makeshift blockade.

"Whoa. What exactly happened in here, Chain? Did you break her mind or something?"

Penny let out a sharp gasp before Dr. West covered her mouth.

"Quiet. We can't let them find us."

She remembered what Kierra told about him. His specialty was lulling the mind to submission. He must've gotten to whoever "her" was. Penny was afraid to find out, but she knew she needed to know.

"But I wanna know what's going on."

Just then, the deer turned invisible, exposing them to the barricade of rocks that had apparently fallen on it and revealing a hole, much to Dr. West's annoyance as he whisper-shouted.

"Oh, come on! They'll notice us that way for sure!"

However, contrary to his words, Chain carried on as he stepped up to the other scarecrow who turned out to be Cain while he did the same. As they talked, neither one of them pointed out that there were two intruders. In their view, there wasn't a hole full of intruders (or a deer) at all.

"Not quite. Her will is strong. But it wore her out too quickly."

Confusing though it may be, it did give Penny and Dr. West some relief, though caution was still warranted.

"Phew. They didn't see us."

"Maybe. But let's keep our voices down to be safe."

Watching quietly, Penny and Dr. West watched the conversation between Cain and Chain.

"You sure she won't go rogue like Kierra?"

"Of course. She's obviously been through too much _not _to consider my offer. Once she's rested, Tulip will be more inclined to reason, yes?"

Hearing her name, Penny became deathly worried for her. In the short time since she ran, she'd already gotten hurt. She was still alive, according to Chain, but she couldn't contain her worry.

"Tulip...?"

"And if she isn't?"

"Well... that would be a shame. Such shame..."

Chain began to smirk as Penny glared at him, beginning to get angry with him, much to Dr. West's surprise. She hadn't seen Penny this angry before, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. Just then, Chain spoke again to Cain.

"Oh. That reminds me. Do be careful with her as you return her to the holding chamber. Bryce will be up next."

"Hmph. Can't make any promises."

Cain then walked away as Chain looked on with a smirk while following him. All the while, Penny began to tense her fists as she growled. Dr. West could already tell she was planning to do something drastic. But if there was ever a time for it, this wasn't it.

"Penny, take it easy."

"But they hurt Tulip... and they're gonna hurt—!"

"I know. But we can't help them like this."

"Why not?"

"For one, the deer wouldn't let us get out. And even if he would, we're still surrounded by scarecrows. They'd be all over us before we could even get to them, let alone the others."

"Yeah, but—"

Dr. West firmly placed his hand on Penny's shoulder as his face alerted her how serious this situation was.

"We're waiting here until we come up with a plan, and that's final. Understand?"

Penny didn't like this, but she had little choice. As much as she wanted to save her friends and her older brother, she can't do it half-cocked. She needed a plan to do it. She had to agree to it, though her face still remained sour.

"Okay. But I still hate it..."

Dr. West looked out to where Cain had left just in time to see him carry Tulip's unconscious body out to the other chamber with Chain following him.

"I know, Penny. Me, too."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the holding chamber, Bryce was thinking on what he was told so far. Maybe there was a reason for doing the things they did. It wasn't a good one, but he could understand their distrust. Osore did attack them time and time again. He wasn't sure he'd forgive anyone like that either. But why would they just lump hitchhikers like that altogether? And how could they know that Tabitha betrayed the passengers?

Bryce looked around at the posters painted over with propaganda and could tell every ounce of hate was put into every single letter, even on the picture that sat in front of him. However, as he looked closely towards it, he saw a face that was familiar. He saw it the day he adopted Penny. And this face helped Bryce and Penny get prepared for what to expect on this train. It was Tabitha's.

As he gazed at this picture, he began to find their story hard to believe. The Castigator said she didn't like the paradise this car had to offer. But here, she seemed so happy. How could someone so happy be willing to destroy their own home? It wasn't long until he found an answer. He could barely make it out, but it looked as though that Tabitha was holding something, but it was indecipherable because of the propaganda. What were they hiding?

To find out, Bryce looked for a compartment from which to open the frame and to get the picture. Fortunately, he found it before opening it up. When he did, he saw that the picture was stripped of the propaganda painted over the frame. And the whole picture became much more clear to him when he saw what Tabitha was holding, or better yet, who.

She was carrying a small, baby girl swaddled in a blanket beside another scientist with long, brown hair and a lab coat. The way she looked to Tabitha was enough for Bryce to know who she must've been. It was her mother. She must've asked her to look over Penny. It all began to make sense for Bryce.

She must've been desperate to give her to him because she was trying to protect her from them. She knew what would happen if they found her. He witnessed it for himself. Bryce's hands tensed near the picture just thinking about what they almost did to her, but he stopped himself before putting it in his jacket pocket. Clearly, they're not to be trusted. She took much better care of Penny than they ever did to the passengers here. Suddenly, Bryce heard the doors open before turning to see an unsettling sight as Cain spoke to him.

"You're up next, kid."

He saw Cain holding Tulip bridal style. And she was unconscious. She wasn't like this when he last saw her. And with the new evidence that he found on them, he began to assume the worst as fear and anger flooded his mind.

"Tulip! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

In his anger, Bryce tried to get Tulip away from him, but his attempt was in vain. Cain quickly kicked him to the floor as Chain looked on in interest. He could tell that Tulip meant so much to him. Something he can use to his advantage. But it wouldn't work if Cain gets too rough on him.

"Please, Cain. Go easy on Mr. Bryce. He's been through so much."

With how casually Chain said this, Bryce glared at him, knowing he was somehow responsible.

"You forced her to tell you my name, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!"

Bryce attempted to throw a punch at him, only for Chain to grab his fist with his palm before pulling him out of the room as Cain set Tulip down on the chair gently while he attempted to reassure Bryce.

"You have nothing to fear, young Bryce. Tulip will be just fine. She just needs rest. As I'm sure you do, as well."

Not willing to be without her for one more second, Bryce struggled to get free of his grip, but it was no use. All he could do was give what may be his one last look to Tulip as Chain took him away to his chamber, much to Penny's worry and frustration.

* * *

She'd watched it all from her hidden vantage point. And she'd had enough of it from the beginning. She was willing to let it go this far because she was convinced that they'd have a plan by then. But now, she was done with it.

"That's it! I can't wait anymore!"

Penny tried to go right out of the hole, but neither the currently camouflaging deer nor Dr. West would let her as the latter held his arms around her while the deer blocked her path.

"Penny, no! You can't go out there!"

"I don't care! I wanna save them!"

"For the last time... no!"

Penny wasn't going to let it stop her, not when they needed her. More than that, her heart couldn't take any longer without them, her beginning stream of tears signifying its ache.

"But she promised! She promised that we'd save them!"

"I know she did. And we will. But we don't have a clue how to—"

Before Dr. West could finish, they began to hear a different set of familiar voices coming from nearby.

"And this will be your territory where you will be placed in charge effective immediately."

"I'm honored, Varicose."

"No. You are commanded."

Penny and Dr. West looked through the hole to see Varicose and Kierra, who is now dressed in a black robe. Penny wondered if it was a part of their plan, because she didn't remember seeing her on that outfit the last time they saw her. Although, they did spend a long time in that tunnel. Varicose then shouted to the guards, both human and AIDAMS by the doors.

"Guards! From here on out, the newcomer is in charge of this quarter! You know the drill! Anything out of the ordinary will be reported to her!"

The human guards replied with a stomp of the bottoms of their axes and a chant in unison.

"Scarecrows forever!"

"That's right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a renegade to find. I trust you'll watch things from here."

"I will, Varicose."

"Good. And see to it that you don't fail."

Kierra nodded to him before Cain shouted from above.

"Hey, Varicose! What are you doing down here?! Weren't you supposed to be looking for the Renegade?!"

While Cain made his way down to confront him, Varicose explained himself.

"There's been a recent development. During my search, I've found our runaway, Kierra."

While Varicose gestured to Kierra, he and Cain, along with Penny and Dr. West were unaware of Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy watching from the safety of the invisibility cloak as Cain spoke in surprise.

"And you made her a scarecrow already? What mark does she even have?"

"Only the one I gave her. Kierra, show the mark."

This made Kierra altogether hesitant to do so. If they find out it was stitched, they'll learn that someone else helped her. And that would lead to a big crash on their plans. Nonetheless, she complied with a nod and was about to show it to him as she turned around and began to lift her cloak, only for Cain to decline.

"That won't be necessary, Varicose. I already know what mark you gave her. It's when you tried to kill her."

"And she survived. The fact that she did is a bonus. Not many people are capable of that."

Cain tried to argue with him on that point, but the logic was true. Though, he had to wonder where her loyalties truly lied.

"Maybe. But how do you know she can be trusted?"

"She was willing to turn herself in to Chain to make sure she doesn't forget her place."

Upon hearing this, Cain realized why he was so quick to take her in.

"Oh, I see what's going on here. You just don't want Chain taking the Castigator's favor again."

Varicose didn't consider it a crime if he never liked him. He never considered it as something to hide.

"So? Wouldn't you have done the same?"

Cain paused for a moment of consideration. Truth be told, he had just about enough of Chain as much as he did. He considered him too smug and entitled, even if he did bring results.

"Point taken. But for your sake, you better know what you're doing, pal."

"Believe me, Cain, I do."

Varicose then headed to the elevator alongside Cain as Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy moved aside to the back of the rocky wall just in time before Rexy spoke in a whisper.

"Yeah, I don't think so..."

With the two of them inside the elevator, Kierra looked around in what used to be her prison as Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy widened their eyes in shock. If they thought the ground above was dismal, then the underground would be much worse. All around them, there was a guard posted at every door. Kierra remembered how it felt to be on the blocked end in one of the doors. To stand on the other side, even if only to play a ruse, was a little... empowering.

"Well... this is it."

Tabitha cautiously walked over to Kierra and spoke through her cloak, expressing her sympathy. Though, Kierra didn't blame her one iota as she replied with a smile.

"It's even worse than what you told me, Kierra. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"Hey, I'm just glad I'm at a different end of this dungeon."

Rexy found it hard to believe how quick Varicose was to go from killing her to recruiting her.

"Yeah, I thought he was going too easy on you. He tried to kill you before, and suddenly, he makes you a Scarecrow? How does that work?"

This made Kierra rethink his actions when she'd tried to escape. He did seem deliberately vicious when he'd tried to kill her. So why would he be willing to induct her? Then it hit her. When she mentioned Chain, Varicose did a double-take. It was one of complete surprise, but there was also a look of spire blended in when he took her in. Kierra remembered then what it all meant.

"My guess? He just really doesn't like Chain, not that I blame him."

Ava, on the other hand, felt that her actually being inducted into the Scarecrows was more difficult than her being a prisoner.

"Well, a lot of good that did. Anytime something happens out of the ordinary, we have to be reported to you."

"I know. And I don't think it'd work out for us; they'd notice when we're not where we're supposed... to be."

In that moment, she had an idea come to her head. To be sure nobody was watching, Kierra looked up to the guards at the doors, seeing that not one of them was looking down at her. She didn't know how long that luck can last, so Kierra had to make this quick as she whispered to them.

"Guys, I think I have an idea how we can make this work. Think you can create a distraction up top?"

Rexy made a smirk as he spoke highly of himself, causing Ava to poke fun at him.

"You kidding? Distraction is my middle name."

"That much I can believe. You are pretty distracting."

Her comment made Rexy take offense to an apparent rib at him.

"Hey!"

Knowing what has to be done, Tabitha had an idea on where she's going with the suggestion.

"Good idea. And while they do that, I'll look for the cube of creation and install the failsafe. It'll cover us both, that way."

"I hope so. Between you and me, I'm not used to being on the other side of the fence."

"We'll see what we can do."

Just in that moment, the elevator door opened again, giving Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy their cue as the first of the three wished Kierra the best.

"Good luck."

"Thanks. I might need it."

While the trio got inside the elevator, Kierra looked around in the dungeon for any sign of the deer, Penny, and Dr. West. She knew that with how long it took her to get to the city, they should've been there by now. But as far as she could she, all she saw were guards at the doors. Could they have been late?

"Where are you guys...?"

As Kierra looked for any sign of them, Penny and Dr. West saw that things were going much better than they planned it, especially now that saving Bryce became more likely with her around. Though, Dr. West was still worried about the big picture of how it'll look when the guards see her conspiring with them as he spoke.

"Well, she's here, but now what? If we so much as try to signal her, the guards would be on top of us."

Penny looked through whatever corner of the tunnel she could, moving around the deer's invisible face while she spotted several guards standing firm near the doors. Yet, not one of them seemed to be looking below. Penny then looked over to Kierra as she walked by while analyzing the dungeon. If there was an opportunity to get her attention, it'd be at this point. Penny tried to whisper through the camouflaged deer.

"Psst! Kierra!"

As she walked by, Kierra heard Penny's shushed voice and looked to where she thought Penny was. However, all she saw was a pile of rocks with a hole in the middle by the wall. In her view, it must've been built to hide them. Kierra looked inside the hole to be sure, but the strange thing was, she couldn't see either of them, even if she wanted to. But her voice couldn't have come from nowhere.

"Penny? Is that you?"

"Uh-huh."

Having heard her reply, Kierra became relieved that they weren't captured yet.

"There you guys are. What happened? Where's the deer? Is it with you?"

Dr. West's voice replied back to her next.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. He's just right in front of you."

Kierra took a step back and didn't see much beyond the pile of rocks. She assumed the deer must have stopped its digging and sat down with them. Or maybe it's something of a different matter.

"So, is he under the pile of rocks?"

"Yes, and it turned invisible to give us a vantage point while hiding us simultaneously."

This feature impressed Kierra as she went over to the deer and spoke to it with a smile.

"Whoa. I wonder what else this guy can do."

Curious as he was about that himself, Dr. West felt it wasn't the time to talk about it.

"Never mind that. We need your help to save Bryce."

"What happened?"

Penny began to break the news to her, still trying to come to terms with what happened to Tulip.

"Tulip got hurt really bad from Chain's hypnosis-thingy, and he's gonna do the same to Bryce, too."

Kierra raised her eyes from Penny's story. Chain doesn't typically use hypnosis for violence. There had to be more to it.

"Wait, she got hurt? How?"

"I don't know. But Tulip wasn't moving when she got out."

Kierra looked up to Chain's room as she tried to piece together what it meant. She knew how hard it was to resist his command. It took quite some strain on her to stay awake as well. Maybe she couldn't stay awake after such a great deal of resistance. She would know. Or maybe... maybe the strain was too much for her. Odds are, she either resisted to the point where it made her go unconscious, or the process itself could've... Kierra didn't have the heart to say it in front of Penny as she tensed her fist. Penny saw that through the invisible deer and became worried about what it meant.

"Kierra...?"

Kierra took her breath before she looked back to them, trying to keep herself calm.

"I'll go check out what's going on. Once I gather everything, I'll let you know. Just stay put until their distraction kicks in, okay?"

Penny could see from the look on her face how serious she was. She didn't know why Kierra appeared the way she did, but it's not as if she could check on Tulip herself without attracting the wrong attention. All the same, Dr. West had to wonder what sort of distraction would be enough to force the Scarecrows out of the ground.

"Okay."

"And how are we going to know when that distraction works out?"

"Oh, you'll know. Trust me."

As Kierra walked away from the deer disguised as a pile of rocks and towards Chain's chamber, Penny held her hands close, worrying about what could happen if Kierra was exposed.

"Be careful..."

It didn't take long for Kierra to reach the chamber next door to the one where Chain was holding Bryce. Unfortunately, she was met with the two AIDAM guards in front of the doorway. She had a feeling they wouldn't be as easy to convince as the one that scanned her number, but she still had to try, if only to figure out how to get through them...

"Excuse me. I'd like to request entry into this room."

The AIDAMS took the opportunity to scan Kierra, starting at her number. On their monitors, they told of her current number as well as her full name before a check mark came over her. In compliance with that, they stepped aside before the amazed and confused Kierra went towards the door and opened it before turning to them and showed her gratitude to them, even if they were robots.

"Okay, uh... Thank you."

Kierra then closed the door before looking around in the room. She could see the wear and tear of the room along with the propaganda posters decorated all around it. That room was not a favorite of hers to begin with, so she paid little mind to them. Kierra then took notice of a red-headed girl with glasses, a ponytail, a green jacket, a grey skort with black leggings and boots lying in the chair. If Penny's word was to be believed, and it was, she must be Tulip.

"Oh, no..."

Kierra went over to her, knelt down, and checked her breathing as she put her ear on her chest. When she did, she heard a heartbeat. That was enough for her to know that whatever Chain did to her wasn't lethal.

"Phew. Thank goodness you're still alive."

Kierra then turned her attention to the desk and a couple of chairs by it. Along with that, she noticed an empty picture frame and a picture. Kierra walked over to said picture and took a closer look at it. She could see Tabitha carrying a small, baby girl swaddled in a blanket beside another scientist with long, brown hair and a lab coat. It was easy enough for her to guess who the baby was, having heard her story before. Kierra began to smile as she put the picture in her coat's pocket.

"Something tells me you're gonna want this back, Maria."

Just as she put the picture in her pocket, though, Kierra heard a groaning from Tulip, making her turn over to her as she regained consciousness and sat up, rubbing her head.

"Ugh... my head."

Kierra took it as a great relief, knowing how happy Penny would be to hear that she's alright.

"Oh, good. You're awake. I was hoping you'd be okay."

When Tulip noticed her, she only saw a woman dressed up in a black coat, a trademark of the Scarecrows. Upon looking at her and noticing the lack of Bryce's presence, she began to assume the worst and tried to attack as she quickly stood up from her chair and swung her fist, forcing Kierra to dodge it as she spoke in surprise.

"H-Hey! Take it easy!"

"Where's Bryce?! What did you do to him?!"

Tulip went towards her to attack again, but this time Kierra caught her hands as she tried to explain herself.

"Listen, Tulip! I'm not here to hurt you two!"

Having heard her say her name without introduction, Tulip initially grew surprised, but she recovered from this and pulled away from Kierra before using her arms to swing her to the floor, using her own grip against her before she spoke to her in anger.

"You're one of them, aren't you?!"

Despite her struggle to get up after a surprise maneuver, Kierra still tried to convince Tulip that she wasn't on their side.

"No... I'm not."

"Then how did you know my name?!"

Kierra answered as best she could as she hoisted herself up with the help of the desk.

"Because... because Penny told me about you."

Hearing her name being spoken out loud, Tulip became stunned. The last time she saw her, the little girl was running away into the forest. To hear of her again could only mean one thing.

"Penny? S-She's alive?"

"Yeah. She's waiting in the tunnel until the distraction kicks off."

That seemed out of nowhere to her, which was understandable to Kierra at this point.

"Distraction? W-What's going on here?"

"Believe me, it's a long story. I just hope it isn't too long..."

* * *

Meanwhile, up top, Tabitha, Ava, and Rexy had just gone to the main floor of the building under the protection of the invisibility cloak. As they got out of the elevator, Ava had to wonder how they were going to pull off the distraction before Rexy interjected.

"So, how are we going to get their attention, Tabitha?"

"I, for one, think a good place to rile them up would be the zoo."

While Rexy laughed at the joke he'd made, Ava gave him a passing glare, much to the confusion of the dino while Tabitha raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"What?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, Rexy."

"Actually... that's not a bad idea."

With Tabitha going along with Rexy's idea, Ava became confused.

"Wait. This place actually has a zoo?"

"Yeah. If it's still around, you'll find it near the city square. It should be at the west of the city."

While Ava nodded to her, Rexy became more concerned on the "if" part.

"Got it."

"Wait a minute. You said 'if'. What are we gonna do if it's not there?"

"Then improvise. 'Distraction' is your middle name, isn't it?"

Ava gave a giggle at her comeback while Rexy felt sheepish for a moment. She wasn't wrong about him saying it.

"Oh, yeah."

"And since you're going to create a distraction..."

Tabitha pushed the cloak off of her and handed it to Ava and Rexy, putting it over their heads as she spoke to them.

"...you'll be needing this more than I would."

Ava and Rexy looked up to her, though the former was out of concern. It's understandable that they'll need to hide, but Tabitha needed to hide, too. Ava couldn't keep that thought to herself.

"But what about you?"

Tabitha was quick to answer her as she held out a small flash drive from her pocket.

"I'm going to do something that should've been done a long time ago. You just focus on distracting the Scarecrows long enough for us to pull it off, okay?"

"But—"

"Okay?"

Ava could try all she wanted, but with such a determined look in her eyes, it was obvious that her mind couldn't be changed. All she could do was agree to it while Rexy saluted her in preparation for the worst-case scenario.

"Alright. Just be careful."

"It's been an honor, ma'am."

The duo then left the building under the invisibility cloak while Tabitha looked to the buttons on the elevator. The list was quite long, as she would remember. Of course, being a scientist herself, she knew where she needed to go. Tabitha pushed a button labeled as "basement" before the elevator doors closed on her.

And while Tabitha went down the elevator, Ava and Rexy were walking to the west of the city under the invisibility cloak. According to Tabitha, the zoo was in the city square. Getting around to find it was partly easier thanks to the invisibility cloak, but that was different from having a plan. Ava was well aware of it as she brought it up to Rexy.

"So, what's your plan, Rexy?"

"What are you asking me for?"

"Well, the zoo was your idea."

While she did have a point, Rexy felt it was too soon when he didn't even see the zoo yet.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask me again when we..."

Before Rexy could finish, he took notice of an open area with broken cobblestone walkways, overgrown grass, and big rusted iron cages everywhere and crowded together. Overlooking it all was a tower with a spotlight as electric fences were placed around the area connected to a big metal gate guarded by the AIDAMs. Upon seeing this, Rexy began to stammer while Ava took a guess about what it really was, much to the dino's concern.

"Looks like we're here."

"A-Are you sure? It looks more like a prison."

Just then, Pike began to exit the entrance as he scoffed to himself.

"Hmph. He has a strong will, that one. But it'll only be a matter of time before he breaks. Odds are, His Highness wouldn't last a day in the zoo."

Hearing his words, Ava knew her point was made.

"Yep. That must be the place."

At the same time, though, she began to realize who Pike was talking about. She'd heard Penny's story on the way to the hideout, and it included the tale of her travels with Atticus. Given his title as King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes, it wasn't hard to know who Pike was talking about. Though, it did little to dissuade Rexy of his worry.

"Hold on. Could he be talking about Atticus?"

"Who cares?! I'm not going back to the big house!"

Ava looked back to Rexy with annoyed exasperation, knowing how he tended to exaggerate things.

"Rexy, first off, that big house was just a timeout corner. And second, we'll have to."

"No way! I'm not going in that prison!"

Ava grunted to herself before remembering how Rexy felt about Atticus when he'd heard of him for the first time. The first thing that came to mind for him was whether or not he was rich. Ava disregarded that theory for Penny's sake, but if there was a use for that thinking, it'd be now.

"Not even for the King's reward?"

This made Rexy's eyes go upward in realization. If he were to save Atticus, he'd get rich for sure. This was an opportunity he didn't want to waste.

"Well, what are we waiting for? How do we get in?"

Ava looked at the entrance to see Pike standing guard. This gave her an idea as she looked to Rexy, making him confused.

"Uh, why are you looking at me like that?"

A moment later, Rexy was pushed out of the invisibility cloak, exposing him in the open. Though, for the plan's sake, they had to get as far away as they could so Pike wouldn't have noticed a dinosaur popping up out of nowhere.

"For the record, I really hate this plan!"

As Rexy shouted, Ava shushed him to keep him quiet.

"Shh! Just walk over and turn yourself in. I'll be right behind you."

"Really? You promise?"

"Yes, I promise. Just do it."

Rexy gave a deep sigh before he spoke to himself.

"This king's reward better be worth it."

Rexy proceeded to walk towards the zoo. It wasn't long before Pike took notice of him. What could a dinosaur be doing out here? And how did he get inside past the barrier? Pike believed he could find the answer after he'd captured him.

"Halt! Stop where you are!"

Rexy froze stiff as he put his claws up.

"What? What is it? What did I do?"

Pike proceeded to walk up to the dinosaur before kneeling down to him.

"How did you get in here?"

Rexy hesitated to answer, appearing as though he was not quite sure how to answer that. After a thorough examination, Pike determined he would find out for himself.

"No matter. I'll know soon enough. You're coming with me."

Pike then took Rexy by his hand and dragged him to the entrance. While he did, though, he was unaware of Ava following behind the two of them under the invisibility cloak. Pike opened the door with his number being scanned by the AIDAMs, just like at the barrier. Ava snuck in that way before. Who's to say it wouldn't work again? Ava couldn't help but think it was all too easy as she went inside past the AIDAMs and followed Rexy and Pike.

"Hook, line, and sinker."

While Ava followed them, she couldn't help but see the abundance of cages everywhere she looked. She saw creatures in the range of ostriches, giraffes, hippos, ponies, monkeys, and blue jay birds and in cages, alongside more odder varieties hairless wildcats, giant albino alligators, a wooly mammoth, an air breathing octopus, and a gorilla wearing a Hawaiian shirt who was shouting as his arms were shackled to the chains on the ground.

"Let me out this instant! This goes against the rights of the denizens!"

She could swear that every place she looks at gets even worse than the last in this car. Ava wondered if it will ever end. Most likely not, but as sad as she felt about everything she saw, she knew they had a plan to undo all of it. If they could just stick it out for however long it needed to be, this can be the last time this car will ever be miserable. Though, even she had worries about what can happen if they couldn't.

"This better work..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Chain's chamber, Bryce glared at Chain as the latter ate a piece of candy. He still couldn't forgive Chain for what he must've put Tulip through. He could only guess how much she'd suffered since the last time he saw her. And it was only five minutes. In that moment, his mind was set on how much suffering to inflict on him in half that time. However, Chain can easily sense it from looking at him as he spoke to him.

"No need for such angry scowl. Tulip is fine. She just needed rest."

Bryce wasn't willing to believe him. Not after what he's seen in that picture.

"Don't try to lie to me. Why didn't you just kill us?"

Chain feigned a look of hurt from his words before he spoke.

"Kill? Not kill. Dead passengers are no good to Chain. No good to Scarecrows. We need passengers alive."

"Yeah, for what? So you can break our minds like you did to them?"

"So Passengers can overthrow conductor and get back home."

This set off more alarms than Chain meant it to for Bryce as he retorted.

"I'm not dumb. I already know what all of you are."

"And what are Scarecrows, hmm?"

Bryce narrowed his eyes, thinning his scowled look.

"Monsters."

Chain didn't find that offending to him. As a matter of fact, it seemed to have amused him. He let out a short laugh before continuing.

"Delightful! How are Scarecrows monsters? Please. Do tell."

"You tried to kill Penny. Or did you forget what Pike told you?"

Chain's face furrowed into a grimace for a moment before he replied to him.

"All things kill. What would you do if someone hurt you? If someone hurt your best friend or tried to kill your family? Hmm?"

Bryce's temper hasn't gone down from those words. In fact, they made it worse. Despite it, Chain pressed his words on him.

"Trust me. You would do same in Scarecrows' place."

That was the last straw for Bryce. He raised his voice as he stood up., the white light shining on him.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!"

Chain only became further amused. He certainly enjoyed pushing his buttons. But there's only so much merriment can do in his duties.

"Ah, yes. I think it goes without saying, yes?"

Bryce began to falter. True as it was, he couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Tell me. When Don Romero gave you ultimatum for family, what did you do? Stop him? Fight him?"

Bryce paused himself for a moment. How could he have known about that? He only ever "told" Tulip about him. Did he force it out of her? Either way, it was surprising to him.

"H-How do you know about him?"

"Answer question. What did you do?"

"I... there was nothing I could do."

Chain only interjected with how he interpreted the situation. He'd seen all he needed to see from scanning their numbers at the main entrance when they first arrived. It practically gave him all he needed.

"So you ran with money. Yes. And when friend Tulip found out truth, what did you do?"

"Penny ran away at the time! I had to—!"

"Run. Yes. Save Penny when you lost her. And here, too. Held Varicose at bay, so child could run. Save self."

Bryce had had enough of what Chain was telling him. He didn't hesitate to snap back.

"You don't know everything! I don't know how you know any of my business, but I don't care!"

"You should. When number gets scanned, everything is revealed to us. Everything... including how you truly feel in every moment. So, like I said, you told her to run. Because you thought it was best, didn't you?"

Bryce's breath began to falter. As much as it infuriated him, he was right. All Bryce wanted since he got on this train was what was best for Penny. He couldn't have it any other way.

"I did... I tried to do what was best for her, but I couldn't save her... I told her to save herself. I wasn't enough..."

Chain began to smile. He'd gotten his worm on the hook.

"Ah. Now, Bryce tells truth. He couldn't save Penny. But... what if Bryce can save all the rest?"

Bryce looked to Chain in confusion. He didn't know why, but he felt the idea was worth considering if it meant that he'd save Tulip, Atticus, One-One, and Penny.

"I... I can?"

Chain only smiled as he spoke to himself.

"Finally. A passenger with sense..."

* * *

Meanwhile, underground, Carper was following the Castigator. The chamber they walked in was an old mechanical lab that was most likely abandoned. It was full of broken metal floor panels, hanging wires from the low ceiling, electric sparking sounds echoing off the walls, and broken off pieces of the walls on the ground. While the two of them walked on the metal panels, the Castigator turned to Carper and saw the confusion on her face as she spoke to him.

"Castigator, where are we going?"

"You'll see in a moment."

They continued to walk on the trail, the room becoming more and more eerie by the second. However, the atmosphere itself paled in comparison to what awaited them at its center. The chamber itself lead to a shallow metal pit where a bunch of wires connected to a giant orb the size of a house with a grey metal deck with black garter rails that led to it. Carper's eyes widened as the orb glowed bright purple with a small crack on its surface leaking out purple lightning. It wasn't by any means natural. What could the Castigator have called her here for?

"Castigator... w-what is this?"

"Behold... the dark code."

As the code surged through the cracks, Carper looked to him for an answer.

"Dark code? You mean the same code that corrupted this car?"

"The very same."

"But... but why is it in that orb? Didn't Osore attack the cube?"

"He did. And we had to use this orb to empty such vile code from the Cube of Creation into it. Now, it is the Orb of Destruction."

Little by little, Carper began to see the big picture. Who knows what the entity in that cube went through after Osore corrupted it? When that vile essence was emptied, that entity must've become penitent, assuming there was one from Tinkerer's words. But why keep the dark code if it's so dangerous? That's what she tried to understand.

"Shouldn't that code be destroyed?"

"I entertained the idea. Since that day, I would've done it myself, but when I tried... well, you can see the result for yourself."

"So... is it simply too dangerous just to destroy the orb now?"

"That is one reason, yes."

Carper's confusion returned as she spoke to her master.

"What's the other reason?"

As an answer, the Castigator turned to her and asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Do you sleep?"

"Huh? Of course, I do."

"Do you dream?"

Carper was about to answer, but found that she did nothing of the sort. It wasn't something she altogether considered, but if he had asked about it, she knew there must be a reason.

"N-No. I don't."

"Neither did I, until I made contact with the dark code. Now, my slumber is riddled with nightmares."

His words didn't go unnoticed. Carper caught onto what he said.

"You made contact with it?"

"By accident, yes, when I was offloading the contents. However... it did not burn like the acid on my hands did. It did worse..."

The Castigator unwrapped his bandages, showing Carper the black spots beneath his green digits that circumvented around his arm, making her gasp in shock and horror as she looked to him.

"Your arm... it's corrupted."

"It is power! Pure... raw..."

"Power? How does that corruption offer you power?"

The Castigator wrapped his bandages back on as he explained.

"How do you think we've been getting new passengers all this time?"

Carper's eyes widened in realization. She's always wondered why the weather never changed beyond cloudy. Could the dark code have something to do with that?

"I've always wondered why nothing seemed to grow back from the Shutdown. I thought with time they could recover, but... they didn't. You're saying that was the dark code's doing?"

"Now you see. The dark code is inhibiting the soil from growing, just as it inhibits the sun from ever shining on this car again."

Carper acknowledged the tone of his voice. He sounded like he planned for it all to happen. Maybe he did. But if he did...

"You're saying you can control it?"

"Not yet."

While he answered her, the Castigator began to remove his hood and visor, exposing his decaying features. His otherwise blank eyes were glowing dark purple over his scarred and burned face. It was truly the most frightening thing Carper had ever seen.

"Harnessing the dark code is not without... consequences. It destroys and inhibits my body from recovering as it does this car. True power demands sacrifice."

The Castigator then put his visor and helmet back on as Carper stepped back in shock before looking to the orb as if becoming placed in a trance.

"Right. No sacrifice... no victory."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kierra had just finished telling her tale to Tulip. It was a lot to unpack for her to say the least. Kierra had only recently learned the history of this car herself, so she had to give her the short version. Tulip understood it all quite well with her own information from her end.

"So, you're saying that Tabitha tried to stop Osore from destroying this car?"

"Yeah. And I don't know if they're the ones who let him in to begin with, but I do know that they can't be trusted. Which is why I'm here. To put a stop to them for good."

Tulip knew something wasn't right with them. If their unspeakable acts towards Penny wasn't proof enough, then the fact that Chain tried to hypnotize her would've sealed it for her. Still, she hadn't forgotten about who else was in their grasp.

"And what about Bryce? How are we gonna save him?"

"You just let me worry about that. They think I'm one of them. I'll see if I can use that to get inside Chain's room and stop his procedure."

"And your 'distraction' up top? How do you know if it'll work?"

"It will. Trust me."

Kierra then stood up and began to walk out of the room, only for Tulip to speak up to her.

"Hey, wait."

Kierra stopped just inches away from the door before turning over to Tulip. Kierra could tell she was trying to make sense of what she's been told.

"How do I know you're for real? That you're not just trying to trick me?"

Kierra did not answer. She only took out the picture from her coat pocket and handed it to Tulip, allowing her to see Tabitha holding a young baby beside a woman with chocolate brown hair as she replied.

"That baby was Penny. The one holding her is Ms. Tabitha. She's protected her for six years. Then, Bryce came along. We owe him that."

Tulip looked up to her in surprise as she tried to find out where the picture came from.

"Where did you get this?"

"Honestly, I found this picture on the desk just before you woke up. I was going to take it to Tabitha, but... I think you should get the chance to do that."

Tulip couldn't help but smile, seeing how cute Penny was as a baby. She was the cutest thing she ever laid eyes on. It was almost enough to make her cry. However, she suppressed those tears as she looked up to Kierra.

"Thank you. For... helping Penny."

Kierra turned back to the door as she held her hands together.

"Actually... I think I should be thanking her."

In that moment, the door opened before Kierra walked out as the AIDAMs stood by each other just before the doors closed, leaving Tulip to look longer at the picture, seeing how happy the little baby was. And then, somehow or another, she began to see Tabitha and the other girl differently. In fact, Tulip and Bryce began to take their place, as if they were there themselves. This urged the surprised Tulip to close her eyes and shake her head before she looked back at the picture, seeing that it went back to normal. However, a blush was still present on her face as she set it inside her pocket before she looked to the wall, most likely where Bryce is on the other side. She then stood up and placed her hand on the wall, hoping that by some miracle he could hear her voice.

"Please, Bryce. Just hang in there..."

* * *

Inside Chain's chamber, he began to work his magic on Bryce.

"Let's face facts, Bryce. You're, eh, pretty strong on your own, but are you strong enough?"

Bryce wanted to argue with him, but with each point he made, it was getting harder to disagree with him, especially with Grandma Becky's voice in his head talking for him.

_You can't protect them like this... you must become stronger._

"No. I'm not."

"Of course not. But it's not your fault. It's your fear and doubt that holds you back."

As Chain's words continued to penetrate his mind, Bryce's difficulty to resist them increased as his mind began to see people being frightened of the unknown elements all around them as Aunt Sam's voice spoke to him.

_The Scarecrows will help remove your fear and make you stronger..._

As the conversation continued, Bryce began seeing the Scarecrows offering their hands to those lost people before they took them and are guided to the city.

"H-How can I get rid of them? How do I stop being afraid?"

"You don't have to be that way. Not when there are lives at stake. It's quite simple, really. The Scarecrows have conquered that fear. Join us, and you'll do the same. You can help... _everyone_."

Just as Chain said this, one of the Scarecrows removed his hood to reveal that it was Bryce himself as another set of voices spoke to him, the voices belonging to Uncle Dan and Megan, who he would usually call Dr. Olsen, and by coincidence, Tulip's mother.

_You're too weak, but that can change if you let them help._

_You'll be able to save those you love with the Scarecrows' help._

"I... I can help everyone?"

Bryce held his head down in thought, beginning to believe he could make a difference that way. However, a familiar feminine voice stopped him from thinking anymore about it.

"_No, Bryce. Don't do this."_

* * *

_Bryce turned around to see his mother and father glowing white. Bryce was becoming shocked to see this sight as his eyes welled up with tears from seeing them. But he wasn't sure if he could believe that they were here._

"_Mom? Dad?"_

"_Yeah, Bryce. It's us. We're here."_

_He reached his hand out, but hesitated when it got as far as it could. The last time he saw them, they were dead on the floor because of him. He was afraid of that happening again, so he didn't have the heart to go anywhere near them, even if he wanted to. Bryce turned his head and his hand away with tears coming out of his eyes, denying their presence here._

"_No. No, you can't be here... you just can't...! Y-You were in the hospital, dying! Because of me...! Because I wasn't strong enough...!"_

_Bryce was on the verge of crying, but he stopped when he heard his mother speaking to him, placing her hand on her son's shoulder as she did._

"_Bryce, remember what we told you. We said that if you needed help, we'll always be there for you."_

"_But how can you be, mom? You're not even here."_

_Bryce turned his head away in shame, only for his mom to gently turn his head towards hers as she spoke to him._

"_Maybe we're not here. But you are. And nobody gets to decide what you should do but you."_

_Bryce's mom's face lowered in sadness as her hand trailed down from his cheek to his shoulder before she spoke._

"_That being said... you shouldn't join the Scarecrows, Bryce. They're not good people."_

_His father chimed in next as he stepped up closer to his wife._

"_She's right. If they really cared about helping people, they'd have set them free. Did you see anyone being free since you got here?"_

_Bryce remembered from his father's words the people that were inside this makeshift dungeon, acting as if the Scarecrows knew what was best. How could they just willingly go along with that? The thought of it alone was enough to make him angry._

"_No. I didn't."_

_His father felt his point was made as he nodded and spoke further with passion before his mother did the same._

"_Exactly. They think they can avoid the laws of our world by taking over this train. Maybe that's not how they thought, but it sure as heck looks that way, doesn't it?"_

"_But you're better than that. We didn't raise you to enslave people, and you're not going to start today or any other day."_

_Bryce's hands tensed in incited anger as he looked back to his parents._

"_Yeah. And I'm not gonna let those cowards get away with this, either. I'm gonna free them all."_

* * *

Back at Chain's chamber, Chain became confused as he raised his eyebrows. He hasn't said a word since he began to believe his words. Could he have been allowing his mind to reset quickly? It usually took hours for the process to work. What could be going on through his mind?

"So? I take it your silence means that you've been considering my offer?"

When Bryce stood up, the atmosphere around him told a different story. Chain began to get a sense that he might've made a mistake. When Bryce glared at him, he had no idea how right he was.

"Heck, no."

"What?!"

"You heard me. I don't need your help to be strong. Not after how I saw you use them in the short time I've been down here. I'm getting Tulip out of here, I'm getting One-One and Atticus back, I'm going to find Penny, and you're not going to stop me with your mind games!"

Chain's face looked surprised for a moment. However, after that moment, his smirk returned as he replied with glee.

"Oh, won't I?"

Chain got out a black remote from his coat pocket before pushing a red button, making the light shining on Bryce glow brighter, confusing him for a few seconds before causing him pain as he began to clutch his head, witnessing dark and surreal images from in his head. For example, Bryce began to see that he was bound by heavy chains that suddenly came up on his arms and pulled him down as Chain spoke.

"Did you really think you're the first to resist? I've already set up countermeasure for just such an occasion. You'll either break in the end, or you'll die. Choose wisely."

Bryce tried his hardest to resist, but the images in his head were too terrifying for words. Bryce looked up to see his parents standing before him. It brought some relief to his mind, knowing how they helped him.

"Mom, Dad! Help me out of this thing!"

However, not one of them made a move. They only began to turn into dust, much to Bryce's horror as they scattered into the wind.

"No! No!"

The strain on his head got worse and worse. Chain knew he had to make a decision and soon, or it really would be the end of him.

"And you better choose swiftly, too. You're running out of time."

Despite this, Bryce persisted in his resolve to resist.

"N-Never!"

Chain's face furrowed into a grimace, speaking viciously as he pushed the button again.

"Suit yourself."

Bryce began to scream even louder now, trying to work through the already suffocating pain that triggered in his mind. He then began to hear a familiar childlike voice in front of him.

"Bryce?"

Bryce looked up to see Penny all by herself. But what was she doing here?

"Penny? H-How did you—?"

"Please don't let them take me away."

Bryce tried to get close to her, but the chains on his wrist stopped him from doing so. He tried all he could to get closer, but the chains kept him in place every time he tried.

"No one's gonna take you away, Penny! Not on my watch!"

However, a familiar chilling dark voice spoke otherwise.

_You're already too late._

Bryce's eyes widened in horror as he saw Osore's clawed hand wrapping around Penny's arm and dragging her into the dark, hearing her scream as she was taken away from him. To hear her scream broke his heart most of all.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Seeing the torture on his face, Chain assumes victory was his as he cackled.

"Having second thoughts now? You know, this wouldn't have happened if you'd joined the Scarecrows."

Bryce glared up to Chain from where he was bound. He knew whose fault it was for that to happen. And he hated him with a vengeance for being subjected to that torture. Bryce couldn't forgive him... He would not...!

"NEVER!"

Bryce began moving his arms towards Chain, trying to get to his neck to choke the life out of him. But unlike the previous times where he'd failed, Bryce's arms were actually moving the chains below him. The ground itself was beginning to break open. Of course, Chain became more worried that he'd conquer his mental shackles, but more so for the end result. If he survived, it'd mean his death. But if he doesn't, that'd be a waste of a candidate worthy of them.

"Stop. Stop!"

Bryce could not heed him; he hated him too much to listen to him.

"SHUT... UP!"

Bryce was getting closer and closer to Chain, ready to strangle him for everything he saw. But the closer he got to Chain, the more pain he began to feel. Still, he persisted, much to even Chain's concern.

"You don't understand! If you continue, you'll die!"

"I... DON'T... CARE!"

Just as he said this, Bryce's mental pain increased tenfold, making him contain his scream as he gritted his teeth before getting closer to the stunted Chain. But the pain was beginning to win this battle. It was killing him, as Chain tried to warn him. When he got the closest he could get to Chain in that light, Bryce couldn't contain his scream anymore. He let it all out, as if the pain fueled the volume of it to the highest it could be. And with that shout, he finally broke free. But before anything else could happen...

"Stop!"

Bryce turned to the voice who called out to him. All he saw was a woman in a black cloak with brown hair in a ponytail. By the time he'd stopped, he'd worn himself out just trying to break free from those chains. And the pain was already taking a heavy toll on him. He couldn't stay awake for long.

"Who... are you...?"

It was all Bryce could muster before he fell to the floor unconscious. However, Bryce wasn't the only one who noticed. Chain was still present in the room, and unlike him, he recognized that face all too well. What surprised him the most, outside the outfit, was the fact that she came back.

"Kierra? You returned?"

Kierra looked ahead to see Bryce lying unconscious on the floor. He was a real toughie, just like her. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of it.

"_Good job holding out. Now just let me handle this."_

But she kept it to herself as she turned to Chain before answering him.

"Yes. I have."

Chain thought that Kierra came back to exact some form of revenge for what he'd done to the passengers, knowing how rogue-like she must've be. It was a vain effort, but he had to try.

"Now, now, this not what it looks like! H-He's just resting, yes."

Kierra would've loved to see him squirm longer, but she had to put that aside for the plan to work.

"You don't have to worry. I saw what the Scarecrows were trying to protect me from."

Chain's panic faltered as he took his breath and became confused from her reply.

"You have?"

"Yes. And I'm never going back."

Chain raised his eyebrows in curiosity. Could his initial hypnosis with her have worked after all? And if not, then what made her realize her place is with them? Either way, it pleased Chain that Kierra chose to return. Surely, she must've seen the light. Though, he had to be sure.

"And how am I to believe this?"

Kierra's hands shook a bit before she spoke to Chain.

"Because Varicose put me in charge of this dungeon and its activities taking place here after he inducted me into the Scarecrows."

Chain's eyes widened incredulously. Surely Varicose could not have actually brought her here.

"The General? At the Castigator's command?"

Kierra knew she had to answer this one carefully. If she gave him the wrong answer, it could expose them. She wouldn't let that happen.

"I thought so at first. But it turned out he was supposed to be tracking down the Renegade. At least, that's what he must've been doing before he found me. I tried to offer myself to you, but instead, he got me inducted into the Scarecrows right away."

Chain put his finger to his chin in deep thought. He knew that Kierra must hold some sort of grudge for trying to kill her. She couldn't forgive him for that so easily. This made him come to a conclusion on his mind about what her plans were.

"I see what you're doing now... You think I wouldn't figure it out?"

Kierra began to get nervous. She knew how difficult he'd be to fool since she blocked out his hypnosis last time. Did she already give them away?

"You're going behind Varicose's back to join my side, yes? Very cunning."

This wasn't what Kierra expected to hear. Those two must really not like each other. Nonetheless, she had to play along.

"Uh... not exactly. I'm just trying to get used to all the activities going on here. It'll just make my duties easier. That's all."

Chain only went up to her as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Nonsense. It must've been very difficult for you to forgive Varicose for your back."

"He told me to consider it my mark. He said it's how you'll know I'm one of you."

"Well, maybe one of the brute warriors here, but you... you're more than that, aren't you? Don't you agree that the mind is just as powerful?"

Kierra found herself caught in the middle there. She'd already convinced Varicose that she wanted to join the Scarecrows, and now she's being cozied up to by Chain. And after her attempted escape, too. One would've thought that they wouldn't forgive her. Or maybe, perhaps, they actually thought they won her over. That their vicious tactics made her realize there really was no place for her but with them. This was practically too easy. Maybe that was the point.

Kierra knew that out of all the Scarecrows, Chain always had ulterior meanings behind his actions. Maybe he knew that she'd resisted. Maybe he's trying to see how loyal she really was. She didn't like doing this any longer than she has to, but for the plan's sake, she had to play along in his game.

"Well, it would make sense."

"Of course, it does. Varicose never thinks things through. He's too reckless. But you... I can tell that you know much better than that. Am I right?"

Kierra tried to respond to Chain's question, but he abruptly stopped her.

"Uh..."

"No need to answer. I know I am."

Chain then turned to the AIDAMs stationed outside of the room before he gave an order.

"AIDAMs, take Bryce to the holding chamber. I have a lot to teach Kierra."

The guards complied with Chain's order as they walked in and picked up Bryce by his arms and legs before carrying him out of the room as Kierra watched, hoping that Bryce can recover as well as Tulip did. With Bryce out of the room, Chain looked to Kierra with a smirk on his face, making her speak to herself in a volume she was certain he wouldn't hear.

"I hope that distraction isn't taking too long..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the zoo, Rexy was tossed into a rusty cage by Pike as the Scarecrow spoke to the dinosaur.

"You might as well get comfortable. Unless you're willing to tell me how you got in _here_, you're going to be in _there_ for a very long time."

Pike then closed the gate shut before locking it, the button on the lock glowing red before he started walking away shortly after as Rexy went up to the bars.

"You can't hold me in here forever! I have my rights!"

Sadly, his rants seemingly went unanswered by Pike, who had long left the holding area. However, someone else did.

"Really? You know your rights?"

The voice belonged to Ava. Rexy was well aware of her following behind them. Other situations he would've been worried. But Rexy knew Ava would never break her promises, so it was reassuring.

"Hey. I had to say something good, didn't I?"

Ava looked around in the room. They must've gotten as deep into the so-called "zoo" as they could've gotten. While it's not ideal for escaping, it was a good place to start a distraction big enough to lure the Scarecrows outside. The question, however, was how to do it. Ava leaned closer to Rexy before whispering to him.

"Alright. From that much distance, it'll be a long time before he comes back from this far into the zoo. Now, we just need to figure out how to set that distraction off. Something that would require all the Scarecrows down there to go up here..."

Seeing how lucky he'd gotten from just guessing, if he could call himself lucky, Rexy had one idea popping into his head.

"Maybe we could start a riot?"

Ava placed her fingers on her chin as she considered his idea. It does seem to get attention, but she had to question the scale of it. Although, it did manage to give her a new idea.

"No, Rexy. It's too common. But I think you're onto something."

"I am?"

"Of course. Their tyranny's gone on for so long, it's practically high-time for it. We have to start... a revolution."

Little did they know that such a word caught someone's attention as the Corgi perked his ear up before speaking to himself.

"A revolution?"

Rexy became impressed with how Ava's mind worked. Taking things an extra step at a time was always her specialty.

"Oh, that sounds much better. But how are we gonna start it?"

"Well, we obviously can't do it by ourselves. If this is a zoo full of denizens, then Atticus must be somewhere around here. Maybe he can help us."

Rexy raised an eyebrow to her out of curiosity.

"And how do you know he's even here?"

"Well, it is a zoo."

"But dogs don't go to zoos."

However, a nearby voice proved him wrong.

"Did you say 'a revolution'?"

Rexy turned to where the voice came from in surprise to see a lone Corgi in a cage. While he may not have much to say about him, Rexy was worried he'd give away Ava's position since the idea came from her mouth. To maintain the cover, he tried his best to hide Ava.

"What? A revolution? Where'd you get that idea?"

"From your friend."

"Uh, what friend? You must be seeing things. I-I'm all by my lonesome here."

Despite his efforts, however, the Corgi saw, or rather smelt through the ruse with his nose.

"Technically, that would be smelling things, because I'm sure that I smell someone standing close to you. Just as easily as I can smell your scent, fellow lizard."

While Rexy took offense to his words, Ava became impressed as she removed the cloak, revealing herself from thin air before placing it in her backpack.

"Hey, who are you calling 'lizard'?!"

"You could smell me coming?"

"Yes. We Corginians pride ourselves in our sense of smell, after all."

"Corginians?"

Ava and Rexy looked to each other on assurance. They both heard that word before from Penny's story. It was where the supposed King Atticus came from. They had to know for sure... Ava turned back to the Corgi as she spoke.

"Wait. What is your name?"

"Funny you should ask. I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes."

Having heard his full title, Ava and Rexy became astonished. They knew they'd find him eventually in the zoo, but neither one thought it'd be so quick. Though, Rexy had to be sure.

"Wait, hold on a second. _You're_ King Atticus?"

"Well, yes. Or, at least, I'd appear more so if I still had my crown. But those Scarecrow fiends confiscated it when I was imprisoned in this alleged zoo. It's even worse than being taken to the vet."

Ava and Rexy each turned to the other as the girl spoke to the dinosaur.

"Well, don't worry. We're here to help you out. Penny's trying to help, too."

Atticus' eyes widened from hearing this. He was worried about Penny after she took off from the Scarecrows, but to hear her name again made him all the more optimistic, practically making him jump in excitement.

"Wait, Penny's still okay?! She's alive?!"

Before Atticus could speak any further, Ava gently brushed his head while shushing him to avoid any alarms being raised.

"Shh...! Yes, she is. We ran into each other while we were hiding. And we've got a plan to stop the Scarecrows for good."

This made Atticus feel more invigorated than ever. He knew that they wouldn't get away with what they've been doing for so long, but to have a hand in it himself... That would make the Scarecrows remember what he stands for, which was nothing of their sort. He may be a pacifist by nature, but by necessity, he is also a warrior.

"Excellent. Now, do you mind if you can unlock the door? I'd reach it myself, but my legs are short for one thing. And adding to another, I don't have any thumbs."

Rexy then cleared his throat, pointing to his own cage lock as well.

"And, uh, do you think you can get me out of this cage, too? Please?"

Ava proceeded to unlock both of their cages, the buttons on the locks now glowing green before the doors opened, allowing them to exit the cages before Rexy looked up to Ava while Atticus concurred with him.

"Oh, thanks. Now, whaddaya say we get outta this place?"

"Agreed."

Atticus then looked all around him, seeing the poor caged denizens. Many of them were heartbroken, angry, scared, and sad. It was an affront to everything he believed in. And he refused to stand for it.

"But we're not going alone."

Ava understood how Atticus felt as she looked around the zoo with Rexy chiming in.

"You don't need to remind us. What they're doing... it's so cruel. There's no way it should go on like this."

"You're telling me. These guys must've been in here way longer than I have. I've only been in here for a minute, and I already hate the place. They should have a taste of their own medicine and see how they like it."

While looking at all the caged animals, Ava took notice of the locks on the doors. Each of them appeared to be different from Atticus' lock. For example, the gorilla's lock made it so that he couldn't pick a lock or even push a button to unlock it. The Scarecrows must've used different locks for different species. Ava had a feeling that it would take a long time.

"Well, it looks like the revolution won't happen at this rate. There's just too many locks."

Fortunately, Atticus knew how to solve that problem.

"I remember seeing a control panel on the way in that's in charge of all of the locks simultaneously. If we can get to that, it should free all of those poor citizens."

Ava and Rexy looked to Atticus while the latter spoke to him about the location.

"Oh, is that all? And where do we find that?"

"At the front of the entrance where its barrier opens up."

Ava looked ahead towards the entrance and bore a grin on her face. It would've been helpful to know ahead of time, but at least it was simple enough. Ava bore a grin on her face as she took the invisibility cloak from her backpack and held it over them as she spoke.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Chain was showing Kierra the ropes. She was able to get Bryce out of the room, but in doing so, she put herself into his clutches. She didn't like this, but it was the only way to save him. Even worse, there's no way to know what goes on in his head. It only made her anxious with the distraction taking so long, but she resisted before. If she had to resist again, so be it. For now, she's being introduced to a new take on Chain's methods.

"Since you've been inducted to be in charge of this floor, I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Secret? For what?"

Chain maintained his smirk as he looked over to where the light that was shining on the chair came from before walking towards it.

"Come and see for yourself."

Kierra followed him to the light by the window, not quite sure why he'd go there. However, as she'll soon learn, that lighting had a reason. Chain reached into the window towards the source of the light before plucking it out, revealing it to be the small disc-like device. Chain handed it to Kierra, allowing her to take a look at the design.

"The mind is already a powerful tool by itself, which is where this device comes in handy. It dulls the brain's senses and helps it to relax and submit."

Kierra looked around at the disc, confused by how it operated.

"And it did that just by shining that light on the passengers?"

"It not only accentuates mood lighting, but it also affects the mind's cerebrum to... make it more open to suggestion. However, its effects also vary depending on the passenger, as you've seen with my recent guest."

This intrigued Kierra as she continued to look at the design, though with raised eyebrows.

"_So, that's how they did it. They've been using this thing the whole time. That explains why I was able to resist. I must've hallucinated when I was about to give in. I guess Summer did help me after all. I owe her big time for this..."_

Kierra turned her head to Chain, next. She began to wonder how the Scarecrows would've taken precautions if they fell under the trance.

"And what about the Scarecrows? What if they got under the spell?"

"Oh, that should be relatively simple. The device also contains a reset button in its undercarriage."

Kierra flipped the device to see a small button that had a label on it below which said "reset". It was pretty straightforward in this case.

"Huh. Looks like you've thought of everything."

"Yes, yes. The mind isn't to be underestimated after all. Of course, the opportunity is still on the table..."

Hearing how sneaky he said those words, Kierra began to suspect something was wrong.

"Huh? What offer?"

Chain only turned back to Kierra with a smirk as he reiterated her previous words.

"You remember. You said you'd give yourself to me to make sure you don't forget your place, didn't you?"

Kierra found herself in a pickle and became nervous. The distraction should've kicked in by now, and she's about to be put under in a few moments.

"_Come on, guys... what's taking so long?"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce was beginning to open his eyes as Tulip held him in her arms. She'd been holding him close since the AIDAMs brought him in. A part of her even began to doubt that Kierra was really helping her escape. However, the picture she held in her hand with the young infant Penny helped to quell it from overtaking her reason. And that reason helped her see how strong Bryce was.

She'd passed out trying to resist Chain's control. She knew from his pulse that the same thing must've happened to him, or his shouting that she'd overheard would've been all talk. Tulip knew Bryce was better than that, however. She knew that he's the strongest person she'd ever known. And she wouldn't think otherwise.

"Bryce. You're gonna make it. I know you will."

Just as she'd said those words, Tulip was more right than she thought. Bryce's eyes began to open as he groaned, making Tulip gasp in surprise that he'd recovered.

"Huh? Tulip?"

Tulip only began to smile and hug him tightly as she spoke softly.

"Yeah. It's me. I'm here. And Penny is, too."

This confused Bryce for the moment. The last he saw her, she ran away as he'd told her to.

"Huh? Penny? She's here?"

"Well, not in this room, but yeah. She's hiding until the distraction kicks off."

"Distraction? W-What are you talking about?"

Tulip understood his confusion. It's the first she'd heard of anything like that in this car herself. Still, she got the gist of what Kierra told her before.

"Okay. It's gonna be a long story. But someone's trying to help us here. They're trying to help... everyone."

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the lab, the Tinkerer was working on the broken down machine as One-One looked on in curiosity. He had to remove its cover to figure out what went wrong. However, that problem was fixable. His current treatment, on the other hand, may just as well be beyond repair.

"I am incontrovertibly the most abused creature in all the train!"

While the Tinkerer worked on it, Sad One felt his pain.

"Welcome to my life, pal. It's nothing but pain."

As the Tinkerer analyzed the machine that synced the helmet to the cube, Glad One couldn't help but stare at the purple cube on the other side of the glass. It somehow looked enticing to him, almost as if it made him remember something.

"Hmm..."

The Tinkerer couldn't take the suspense anymore and wanted to know what made him curious.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, sorry. It's just that this purple cube looks familiar somehow. Though, I can't quite put my stub on it..."

The Tinkerer's interest was piqued. Could that robot have been a prototype after all?

"Familiar? Hmm... how long ago was it since you've been to this car?"

Glad One replies before his sad side conjectured with him.

"That's the thing. I don't know that I've been here, but it feels so familiar."

"Like an annoying case of Déjà Vu."

"Déjà Vu, you say? Interesting..."

In that moment, the elevator opened to reveal Tabitha. She thought she'd be more prepared without the cloak. But the Tinkerer aside, Tabotha was daunted by the sight of the corrupted Cube of Creation in front of her. Not even the cataclysm known as the Shutdown could compare to this pure horror. Tabitha was frightened, but she knew it wouldn't do well when trying to hide herself from the Tinkerer. Fortunately, she found a place to hide in the corners of the hallway leading up to the lab. And it was good timing, for just as she made herself scarce, the Tinkerer turned around to find nobody there. Seeing this bizarre occurrence, he only turned himself back around.

"Hmph. Good for nothing elevator. Always goes off when no one's inside..."

Tabitha peeked from the corner to find that he'd turned himself back around. Tabitha then looked from her position, hoping to find something to help undo their madness.

"Alright. The control panel should be up there someplace..."

While looking, she took notice of One-One on the panel as his glad side spoke to the Tinkerer.

"You seem a bit stressed lately. Why don't we play a relaxing game for a while?"

"I don't have time for games, ball."

"Well, let's try it anyway. We can play Marco Polo."

One-One then split himself apart before each of the sides began going the opposite way of the panel. When the Tinkerer saw this, he grew flustered, thinking it was trying to escape.

"Hey! Stop that!"

Immediately, he halted his work and began to chase after One-One. But in doing so, it allowed Tabitha to get a full view of the control panel with the input to plug in the flash drive. It gave her hope as she looked back to the flash drive in her hand.

"Now's my chance. I have to make this count."

Cautiously, Tabitha began venturing out to a lower section of the lab where she'd get close and stay hidden while One-One "played" with the Tinkerer, his glad side shouting one thing far away from him while his sad side went away before shouting another.

"Marco!"

"Polo."

The Tinkerer grew frustrated with him very quickly as the game progressed. However, the game didn't last long. Glad One made the mistake of getting close to the Tinkerer behind him to catch him off-guard.

"Marco!"

The Tinkerer only responded by grabbing him before going after his sad side.

"Polo."

Though Sad One was the only one playing the game right, the Tinkerer still managed to get him before putting them both down on the panel as both sides spoke.

"See?! Isn't that a fun game?"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure you were cheating because you weren't blindfolded, but still, good game."

The Tinkerer only snarled at One-One with anger.

"I do not have time for your gormless distractions, you slippery—"

Before the Tinkerer could finish his words, the elevator opened next to reveal Bailey, much to Tabitha's surprise as she'd noticed far away.

"Bailey...? You're one of them...?"

Little did Tabitha know that she'd just come to terms with what had happened to her after being used for his latest experiment. She couldn't help but feel guilt and anger swelling up in her. But at the same time, she was grateful for him to stand up for her. She felt he at least deserved a chance to explain everything. Bailey then walked out of the elevator, catching the Tinkerer's attention, though he thought it was someone else.

"Oh, now what?"

Upon seeing her, the Tinkerer showed a look of surprise. He didn't expect her to be up and ready until after a day or so. And yet, she's standing in front of him, more refreshed than the last time he saw her. And if that's the case, maybe he can accomplish both the study of One-One and the repairs of the machine as he gestured her to the robot

"Oh, Charleston. It's only you. Sorry about that, I-I was expecting someone else. Maybe you can help me with this prototype. It's so-called 'games' are anything but relaxing."

"Hello, lady. It's nice to meet you. I'm One—"

"One. But you should know I'm not supposed to be talking to strangers..."

Bailey only took a deep breath as she looked to One-One before she spoke to him.

"Of course, master. But... my name's Bailey."

This made him raise his eyebrows. She hasn't said that name since she was put under Chain's spell. For her to say it now... it can only mean one thing. And he was hoping that day wouldn't come.

"So... you remember everything."

"Yeah. I do... Julian."

Caught in the midst of the building drama, One-One couldn't help but become excited.

"Oh, my goodness. I don't know what's going on, but I am loving this...!"

"It feels like I'm watching this part in a movie where the teenage girl who traveled with a ruthless survivor found out the truth. My favorite part..."

Ignoring One-One's comment, Bailey tried to get the answers out of the Tinkerer.

"How could you betray us, Julian? After everything we did for you?"

"I never betrayed _you, _Charleston. The others who mocked me and called me a crackpot, on the other hand—"

"When did we ever do that?!"

"EVERY DAY OF MY WRETCHED LIFE!"

Bailey was taken aback by Julian's vicious words. She never heard that side of the people she worked with. Nor did she comprehend what had happened to him for so long. This gave Julian enough time to add to his proclamation.

"There was only so much callous disrespect a seer of the Cube can endure, so I turned my back on those so-called people of science! And I gave them all what they deserved!"

Julian began to pant his breath with Bailey standing still, realizing the last thing he'd just said.

"What do you mean gave us what we deserved?"

Julian only stayed silent, aside from panting his breath. He said nothing, but in doing so, he gave away everything. It wasn't long before Bailey realized why the Paradise Car was destroyed. It was because of him.

"You... I can't believe this. Y-You let Osore in?! How could you?!"

One-One was taken aback by this revelation. All the while, Julian didn't think it a crime if a society was cruel and unjust towards him.

"Gasp! What an unexpected twist!"

"It was all their own fault. When I first came here, I thought I'd be welcomed. But all I've ever been since then was anything _but_ welcome!"

"What are you talking about? I... _I_ welcomed you!"

"But it wasn't enough to stop _them _from scorning me, now was it?!"

Hearing the vicious tone he took, Bailey grew upset with Julian as Tabitha watched while drawing closer to the control panel's input.

"You killed so many innocent people just to get back at them?! Most of them were just children!"

"Children raised to call me a laughingstock! I've had enough of that for a lifetime!"

"You don't know that!"

"I wouldn't be saying what I've spoken if I didn't, I promise you! Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever given me a chance!"

"Well, I did!"

The room went silent, save for Bailey's echoing shout. Tabitha did not move an inch from her spot since then. Even Glad One hasn't spoken a word. The silence went on until she spoke again to the befuddled Julian with tears rising from her eyes.

"Each and every day that I saw you... I always gave you a chance. I always appreciated you. What you were capable of. The stories you had to share about Aiden's world. They might never have listened, but I have. I _always _have."

Julian's face didn't waver despite what he was told. From that alone, Bailey caught on to how much it meant to him. It appeared to mean no value to him, but she knew otherwise.

"And... and your knew that. Didn't you? That's why you stood up for me..."

As Tabitha watched the whole scene, she began to realize what'd happened to Bailey since she last saw her. She must've been taken in by the Scarecrows thanks to Julian standing by her. If he hadn't, they might've killed her just for being a hitchhiker. That was something she wasn't prepared for. Tabitha could feel herself trembling from this revelation, almost losing grip on her flash drive before she secured it and stood up as Julian finally spoke to her solemnly.

"Charleston. No... Bailey. You were the only one to give me meaning in this wretched life. A life without you would've been far worse..."

Just then, Tabitha's voice spoke to him next.

"Then you won't be needing this anymore."

Bailey, One-One, and Julian turned around to see Tabitha holding her flash drive at the ready with Bailey looking on in surprise as the Tinkerer ran towards her.

"Tabitha?"

"The Renegade?! No! Stop!"

But it was too late. Tabitha had already plugged in the flash drive to the control panel's input. And in the process, it quickly began to sync itself into the control panel as the monitor showed that the synchronization was almost complete, much to Julian's terror.

"You fool! You have no idea what you've done!"

Tabitha only responded with a glare towards him.

"I know exactly what I've done! I'm booting you Scarecrows out of power, out of this car, and I'm freeing the passengers and denizens for good!"

This only earned an angry shout from Julian, making Bailey feel bad for him before it turned into a rising laughter as he repeated himself.

"That's what you think. But you have no idea what you've done. Look!"

Tabitha looked back at the monitor and found out that the Tinkerer was onto something. Apparently, there was an error in syncing all of its contents. Unfortunately, that included the failsafe. Tabitha's eyes widened in utter defeat. After coming this far, she refused to give up.

"No. No, no, no! It can't be the way this ends!"

Julian only gave her a mocking laugh as he spoke.

"Did you really think we'd be so stupid as to let you install the failsafe? We took precautions on this very situation six years ago! All thanks to Ms. Charleston."

Tabitha looked back to Bailey and saw her face becoming riddled with guilt. Somehow, it hurt her more that Bailey had betrayed her, hypnotized or not, than to know she'd died.

"Bailey...? How could you?"

"I-I don't know what I did, Tabby! I'm so sorry."

Seeing it all go down like this, One-One felt sorry for the both of them as he made a sad face before the Tinkerer replied you Bailey's statement.

"I'll tell you what you've done. You just helped the Scarecrows rid themselves of the Renegade."

Bailey could only turn her face away in shame as Tabitha went towards Julian in anger, shouting at the top of her lungs before he clutched onto her fist and pressed it against her back, inhibiting her from moving as he spoke coldly.

"And as for you. I thought I heard something creeping about. Naughty, naughty..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Carper and the Castigator were on their way back from the underground. They'd just taken the elevator back up to the top floor of the building, mainly his office. The former was still wondering why he'd show her this if he'd kept it to himself for years.

"I still don't understand. Why would you only show me this?"

"Because, Carper... you are the only one I trust."

This made Carper widen her eyes. He'd never said this to anyone before. Did he truly feel that way about her? Before she could get the chance to ask, the Castigator spoke again.

"Do you remember what it was like? Before we were cast on this train?"

Carper hasn't thought about her old life back then. And she's not certain if she even wanted to.

"I, uh... I don't think of such things."

"And yet, the thoughts come."

He was right. Carper began to recall, little by little, how traumatic her life was. Of course, they were only bits and pieces. One such piece showed her holding someone in her arms, most likely someone long gone. And she was exhibiting such sadness that quickly distorted into a rage as she screamed to the air.

"I remember... suffering."

"Yes."

"Guilt... anger..."

"Yes."

"And sorrow. But... it's hard to recall completely. Like—"

"A dream?"

This made Carper understand what he meant by his earlier nightmares. He must've gone through the same she is this very moment.

"No. A nightmare."

"Yes. We know the torments that lie behind us. But what torment awaits us beyond this existence, especially in this place? All the more reason to hold onto life with all claws. No matter the cost..."

Just then, the Castigator heard a ringing from his desk. He looked to the desk to see a glowing from one of the drawers as Carper grew curious.

"What is that?"

"A message. Perhaps the machine's been repaired."

The Castigator opened the drawer to see his small blue-green orb glowing before he picked it up. When he did, Julian's holographic projection came up with an eager face.

"Oh, Mighty Castigator. I have some resplendent news to give you."

"So, the machine is repaired, then?"

"Well, uh... not exactly."

The Castigator didn't usually have the patience. But he had to wonder why he'd smile if the machine wasn't fixed. If he should be angry, it has to be for a reason.

"Then why would you waste my time and be so eager to do so?"

"Because I've caught someone snooping about. And that is none other..."

The Tinkerer stepped aside to reveal Tabitha with her hands tied behind her back, much to the Castigator's surprise as he widened his eyes while he revealed the identity of the Renegade.

"...than Maria Tabitha, the Renegade."

The Castigator was initially caught unawares by this announcement. But given that it was in good fortune, he began to smirk towards her with a chuckle before he spoke.

"So... Maria Tabitha. We meet at last."

Tabitha only glared at him as she retorted.

"You're not going to get away with what you've done, Castigator. Someone _will _stop you!"

Julian abruptly smacked her in the back as he retorted back.

"You know your place, hitchhiker trash!"

While Tabitha grunted from this sensation, the Castigator tilted his head in confusion. She wasn't seen anywhere inside the barrier of Nirvana City up until now. She must've had help to get inside. It may seem like a victory, but it was hollow, knowing she was still inside. Although, if he knew more about who helped her, it could either make or break his reign.

"Did you find out whether or not she has any conspirators?"

"Not yet. I was just in the process of interrogating her. She hasn't said anything useful since then. In the meantime, Charleston's been repairing the machine after her recovery."

"Well, keep at it on both tasks until Varicose returns, for all our sakes. If she has any conspirators, they must've been someone from the inside. Do not kill her, but if you have to use force, then do it. Do you understand?"

The Tinkerer only bore a malicious grin as he replied agreeably.

"Understood, Castigator."

The transmission then ended before the Castigator set it inside the drawer. Having overheard the news for herself, Carper grew curious on what their next move should be.

"What should we do?"

The Castigator then took a deep breath before looking back to her with determination.

"You will check on the Tinkerer's progress and aide him on the machine's recovery _and_ the interrogation."

Carper raised her eyebrows from hearing this. Wasn't this meant for Varicose's duty?

"But... didn't you say Varicose would do it when he returns?"

"_If _he returns. But if the Renegade gained access to the barrier, we must have a mole in our midst. And I fear his obsession would cloud his judgment. Besides, as I said, _you _are the only one I trust... my daughter."

Carper then held her head down and placed her hand over shoulder in reverence as he continued to speak.

"And never forget. There is absolutely nothing in this train that does not bend to my will."

Carper lifted her head up and removed her hood, showing not only her dirty blonde hair, but also the fierce determination in her eyes as she replied.

"I'll never forget that... father."


	15. The Resistance Car 2 of 2

**A/N: Surprise! Here is the final part of The Resistance Car. I know I said it'd be much later, like late August or early September, but I just couldn't put this climax down, especially not with its 1st anniversary approaching. So, you'll find it is a much longer chapter than the others. In fact, it may be the longest chapter I've ever created. And while in the process of making it, I happened to see the trailer for Book Three. So, you'll find a couple of surprise guests in this chapter, as well as one more surprise at the end, but for the sake of the story, I won't spoil anything. And also, I decided that after this chapter will come highly anticipated "Chrome Car". And it will come sometime next week, so you can look forward to that. Until then, I hope you have a good time reading this. :)**

**Act II - Chapter XIV: **The Resistance Car Part 2

In the lab, Bailey analyzed the machine. She'd been told by the Tinkerer to work on it while he took care of interrogating Tabitha. She didn't much like being put in that position, especially when it means her friend's life. Seeing her hurt was the last thing she wanted, let alone the fact that it was because of her. However, as Bailey analyzed the machine, she realized that there was a silver lining.

It was that very machine that helped her see the little girl inside the cube and made her snap out of Chain's control. But she looked sad and heartbroken. Maybe if someone could get inside and help it, everything might go back to normal. It's almost opportune. Although, there is a chance that it could all go wrong. And she's not sure if anyone should take that chance. In that moment, One-One checked up on her.

"Are you alright, Ms. Bailey?"

Bailey turned back to One-One and answered him before looking to the center of the lab where the Tinkerer tied up Tabitha.

"Honestly... I don't know anymore."

Tabitha was being tied up with her arms behind her wrists with a small blue device that acted as handcuffs as they connected to her arms while the Tinkerer was snickering to himself. For too long, he'd gone on without the proper recognition. But now, it's going to change. Apparently, he'd done what no other Scarecrow had done before: he has captured the Renegade. He could do nothing but imagine the inevitable accolades he'd be receiving as both One-One and Bailey looked on before both halves commented his success while the latter only became filled with shame.

"Good. That will do. Wait until the other Scarecrows catch wind of my triumph. At last, things are going to go _my _way for once."

"Well, hats off to you, sir. Congratulations."

"Too bad that victory's not gonna last..."

However, Tabitha wasn't happy with him. She'd just found out who caused the Shutdown in the first place. Before today, she wondered how Osore managed to sneak in the car and corrupt the Cube of Creation. She wondered how it was possible for someone like him to get as close as he did with the security they had. Now, it all made sense. It was all his fault. And she wasn't in any mood to forgive him.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Julian."

The Tinkerer only turned back to Tabitha with a smirk as he retorted.

"Not as proud as you are, throwing your life away in a desperate bid for redemption."

Tabitha only maintained her scowl towards him before the Tinkerer proceeded his business of interrogation.

"Now, tell me... How did you sneak past the barrier of the city? You couldn't possibly have done this alone, not even on your best day."

Tabitha only glared at her interrogator. She wasn't willing to give them up to him.

"I already told you. It's just me."

Alas, the Tinkerer wasn't convinced. According to the Castigator, she _must _have had some help. And last he checked, his word was law. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to forgive and forget, either. He began to rant towards her while walking away from her mid sentence before stopping just in front of a desk by the side of the control panel, opening up a long drawer.

"Yes... so you kept saying. Just like _you _kept saying that I was welcome. And we both know how well that turned out, don't we? Not even the Scarecrows gave me the respect I deserve. Oh-ho, once I present you to the Castigator, I'll show them. I'll show them all!"

Sad One saw the moment and critiqued it his way, seeing it as overused.

"That sounds way too cliché."

The Tinkerer reveled in his momentary success before turning back to Tabitha, brandishing a long electric staff as he stepped closer to her.

"But first... If I turn you in to the Castigator, I'd never get the chance. So, until then, I believe I've earned the right to my long overdue recompense."

Tabitha's eyes widened in fear as the Tinkerer roared before using the staff to electrocute her, earning Tabitha's pained grunts. When he pulled the staff away, Tabitha was panting from the brief shock as the Tinkerer snarled from her apparent resilience. She could certainly resist the lethal shock, but he wasn't blind to the risks of overcharging her. Lashing out rapidly would cause her body's nervous system to shut down, so he was reduced to waiting between lashes. Although, he found a way to incorporate the wait time.

"Stings, doesn't it? Of course, it does. That was only a paltry ten volts of electricity. But there's only so much the human body can tolerate for so long."

Tabitha glared back to Julian as she retorted.

"So? What does that prove?"

The Tinkerer only responded by pushing a button on the staff, making it glow brighter before he engaged with another thrust, making her groan louder through her teeth before pulling it away and making her cough this time as he spoke.

"It proves that with that twenty-volt lash, you now have three chances left. Give me a wrong answer, and I up the ante. Not that I'd kill you just yet."

However, like before, Tabitha was adamant.

"I already told you it's just me. What more do you want?"

The Tinkerer, true to his word, upped the ante to thirty volts and shocked her. As each strike threatened to turn those grunts into screams of agony, Bailey felt just as fearful from watching this. The last thing she wanted was for Tabitha to get hurt. Watching Julian take his "wretched life" out on Tabitha was more than unbearable. It was heartbreaking. When he finished his third strike, Tabitha began to shed tears as Julian knelt down to her.

"I can either make it quick. Or, I can make it... so much _worse_..."

Tabitha only retaliated, bashing her head against his chest, making him double back before he growled venomously.

"I warned you!"

The Tinkerer made no hesitation to upgrade the voltage to forty before he struck her again. This time, Tabitha's groans turned into full-on screams. The Tinkerer prolonged this strike to hear them longer as he smiled while Bailey's heart sank further, placing her hands over her mouth as tears came down her eyes while One-One looked on in horror. When the charge was over, Tabitha was beginning to sob lightly, recovering from the cruel thrust as Julian talked down to her.

"This is your last chance, Renegade! Who are your accomplices?!"

Despite her tears, along with the unforgiving pain that coursed through her, Tabitha maintained her defiance.

"It's. Just. Me."

The Tinkerer began to believe her. With how persistent she was to say this, it must be true. He knew how paranoid the Castigator could be. He may wish to play it safe. But he intended to play for keeps. And he wanted to play as long as possible...

"Then you'll die alone..."

The Tinkerer upgraded the charge one final time to the lethal fifty volts and prepared to shock her again. But before he could, Bailey's voice shouted to him.

"NO!"

Hearing her fearful voice, the Tinkerer turned over to see Bailey with tears in her eyes as she rushed over to him. He became genuinely confounded before she spoke again, to which he retorted quickly.

"You can't do this! We need her alive, remember?!"

Julian did not forget that. But she sounded all too desperate with what she said. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume she had sympathy for the Renegade. The very idea spurned him.

"You don't need to remind me, Charleston. I don't need anyone to—"

And yet... there is a logic to this. So far, the Renegade wasn't very helpful. But if he could acquire Chain's help, or even make another device to dull her mind to submission, she'd be willing to disclose the Castigator's theory about her being inside with help. Even better, any symbol of rebellion would be crushed instantly. Maybe Charleston was onto something.

"Oh. That's right. You two are friends, aren't you? Well, then... you can handle her, and I'll handle the machine."

The Tinkerer then shut down his staff as he walked over to the drawer where he'd acquired it from as Bailey showed confusion.

"But the machine was finished up. I was about to tell you that."

This made the Tinkerer's eyes raise in surprise. Then again, she did learn from the best, after all. Though, he still had to be sure. He walked over to the machine and began to inspect it. Each and every socket was in the right place where they should be. Seeing this workmanship, he began to smile. The rate they're going, the train may be theirs by the next week.

"Well, in that case, this calls for a bit of genuine frivolity. How fortunate that I tucked a few vials of sulfuric essence away, for just such a festive occasion."

After putting the staff away, the Tinkerer opened a second drawer, containing bottles of red liquid before taking them out. The Tinkerer then began to walk out of the lab before Bailey spoke, feeling some concern for what should happen if the Castigator were to arrive.

"Uh, shouldn't we wait for the Castigator?"

"Heh. About that... I'll let you take the credit for this."

This made Bailey widen her eyes at such an offer.

"M-Me?"

"Of course. Why not? Were it not for you, none of this would be possible."

Bailey's heart sank to the lowest as she took note of Tabitha's betrayed face. It wasn't a look she could stand.

"But you said... you said that _you _captured him."

"Eh. I say a lot of things. But only one is true: you bring me joy in my otherwise wretched life. It's the least I could do."

The Tinkerer then exited the lab as Bailey held her head down in sadness. For all she knew, he must've had a double meaning to that phrase: it's her suffering that brings him joy. It must be a punishment, though he didn't intend it to be. That was what made it hurt the most for her... When he'd left the room, Tabitha looked up to see that shame on Bailey's face. Though, as bad as she felt for her, Tabitha had trouble understanding why she chose their side.

"How could you do this, Bailey? Why would you work for them?"

Bailey turned to face Tabitha, trying to explain her situation, though it was difficult with how hurt she was over the fact that she betrayed her.

"I didn't have a choice. Before I ever worked with them, the last thing I remember was that Scarecrow telling me I could make things right. And I believed him..."

Hearing the answer, Tabitha began to piece it together. Kierra told her before about how Chain brings in passengers. Chain must've hypnotized Bailey since the last time she saw her. He'd convinced her that they were doing the right thing by helping them. She was just like the others... Tabitha's face began to sadden as Bailey continued.

"I just wanted to set things right, Maria. That's all I wanted. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't mean for you to—"

Bailey wanted to finish, but after how she saw Julian treat Tabitha, she couldn't bear to say another word. She's guilty enough as is, she thought. She didn't need to make it worse by mentioning it. Bailey was on the verge of crying just from hearing those screams in her head again, but Maria didn't feel it was her fault. She wasn't in her head at the time. There simply wasn't a reason to blame her for any of it.

"I know. Someone told me about how the Scarecrows bring in passengers. And honestly, if the positions were reversed... I'd try to make it right, too."

Bailey sniffled as she wiped her eyes to prevent her tears from leaking out.

"Y-You would?"

"Of course. I mean, I'm not happy that you let yourself be manipulated. But at the same time... I can't blame you for it. I'm just so glad you're alive."

Bailey began to smile as she knelt down and hugged Tabitha, welcoming the comfort of her old friend's embrace despite her being tied up.

"I'm glad you're alive, too..."

In that moment, Bailey remembered who she asked Maria to look after all those years ago. It's the first time she crossed her mind, and it made her all the more embarrassed for it.

"But, wait. What about Penny? Do you know how she's doing?"

Maria couldn't help but nod to her with a smile as she spoke.

"Let's just say she's closer than you think."

Bailey couldn't help but become confused for a moment, blinking her eyes before the Castigator's voice shouted.

"Tinkerer!"

Bailey froze still, quickly standing at attention as the Castigator and Carper entered the room. She'd never gotten to see the Castigator up close beside her last meeting with Carper, but it terrified her all the same. As she held her peace, the Castigator looked around the room, noticing a lack of the Tinkerer's presence thereof, save for Bailey's, One-One's, and Tabitha's. He turned to the first of the three as he interrogated her with his chilling voice.

"You. Where is the Tinkerer?"

Bailey was about to tell him that he'd gone off to celebrate his victory, but she couldn't. Not after what he said about how he felt about her. Somehow, betraying him after it would add on to the guilt, and she'd had enough of it already.

"Uh... he's gone to look for the Renegade's accomplices. He'd placed me in charge of the Renegade until he came back with them."

Her voice was shaky, but the Castigator it was due to his imposing presence. As long as someone is going after them, he could get some sleep over it.

"Well, that's a surprising initiative. And the machine?"

"It was all done by the time the Tinkerer got something out of her."

One-One added to it as he waddled over with both sides backing her up.

"It's true. That device is all spic-and-span."

"But it wouldn't hurt to oil it a bit, maybe. Just saying."

The Castigator looked over to Carper for verification about her word. She'd been watching Bailey carefully for anything that would give away a lie. So far, her stories checked out. Carper confirmed them with a nod before the Castigator became more assured.

"Excellent. Now, if you don't mind... would you be so kind as to turn her over to me?"

Bailey looked behind her, knowing full well who he was talking about. She didn't like the idea of turning her over to him, not one bit. Not when she realized who she was. Still, she had to refuse in a way that wouldn't make him suspicious as she needed a plan.

"I'm sorry, but I've been asked to keep an eye on her."

The Castigator, however, persisted in his request.

"And you've done a magnificent job of it, I'm sure. But I think we can take it from here."

Bailey stepped in between Tabitha and the Castigator as she spoke back sharply.

"No, I can't let you—!"

Before she could finish, Bailey felt a sharp and terrible pain in her head as she grunted. Carper looked on in astonishment as Bailey held her hands on head while groaning from the pain, reeling from the terrible ache as Tabitha looked on in worry. All the while, the Castigator was glaring her way.

"Disobeying your master is not wise, Charleston."

Bailey tried her best to fight back, but there was nothing else she could do that wouldn't cause her such agony. The Tinkerer must've suspected she wouldn't stand up to him, even if she wanted to: she supposed that's why he kept her around despite her remembering. Either way, it was the most horrible pain she'd ever felt. And she never wanted to feel it again...

"You were saying, Charleston?"

Bailey had no choice but to give in as she replied shakily.

"Uh, sorry. O-Of course, you may."

With the pain subsiding, Bailey then backed away before making Tabitha stand up as she was beside her, her expression alone revealing how she truly felt.

"I'm so sorry..."

Tabitha then stepped forward to the Castigator, his face grinning at the sight of her face staring at him as he spoke.

"Once your accomplices hear of this, they'll lose hope for any ill-conceived rebellion you've conjured up until now. And I will be there, watching while they turn to me as I welcome them with open arms."

Tabitha only put on a sour expression on her face as she retorted softly.

"What? So you can keep them under your thumb?"

The Castigator then glared back at her, unfazed by her comment.

"It's what's best for the passengers. A hitchhiker like you could never hope to understand... Carper. Take her to the dungeon."

Carper nodded to him before holding tightly on Tabitha's arm and dragging her with the two as they walk out of the lab, but not before the Castigator turned to Bailey.

"Oh, and Charleston."

"Uh, y-yes?"

"You can rest in your quarters for now. I'll be sure to let the Tinkerer know about it. And you can keep the ball, too, if you desire."

This made One-One very excited and nervous at the same time before Bailey replied back to the Castigator as she picked him up in her hands.

"Looks like the two of us are gonna be roommates!"

"You better not be one of those roommates that keep me awake at night..."

"W-Well... thank you."

"Oh. And one more thing: when we find the Tinkerer... no. When we find Julian, we'll tell him that he's made the right decision to keep you alive. We are grateful for it."

Hearing the Castigator say this to her, Bailey couldn't help but be heartbroken. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her friends, but she did just that in handing her over to the Scarecrows.

The Castigator and Carper then took charge of the lab as Tabitha left the room and headed to their quarters with One-One in tow. Before the shutdown, she used to have many friends to work with, especially her husband, but now, they're all gone. And worse yet, it was all her fault, or so she believed. Bailey began to sink to her knees and give in to the isolation she's now presented with as she held One-One close to her. The Tinkerer would likely return soon, but it meant nothing to her now. Now, there was nothing left for her...

"What... what have I done...?"

But little did she know what Tabitha was trying to say.

* * *

In that moment, Penny and Dr. West were hiding in the tunnel, waiting anxiously for Kierra's report with the latter studying Kierra's map thoroughly. It had been quite some time since they last saw her. In fact, Penny began to watch what the Scarecrows' members were saying. The more she watched the faraway passengers teaching about their way, the more entranced she began to be, as this was something she'd never heard before.

"Eden lies in the evening sky. The clouds are red about her. I am here, Lady Eden. I am running through the long grass. Oh, take me with you, dropping near the woods far away into the heart of the light, the silence. For I am ready to give you my breath, my life."

Penny was getting chills in her spine from hearing this before Dr. West pulled her away.

"I think that's enough."

Penny didn't quite understand who this Lady Eden was, but the tone in which he said this intrigued her, even Dr. West. Though Dr. West would try to reassure her, he was getting antsy himself.

"Who's Lady Eden?"

Dr. West looked down to Penny before softly brushing her hair back as he answered.

"Well... I can't say that I know. Probably another one of the Scarecrows' lies."

Penny then turned her attention to the chambers above where Kierra went up. She hasn't seen Kierra come back down and was afraid to assume the worst.

"Do you think Kierra's gonna be okay?"

"Well, seeing how she managed to survive a slash at her back, I'd say the odds are even money. Although, what the devil could be taking her so long...?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip and Bryce were sitting beside each other, waiting for Kierra to open the door. They'd been waiting since Kierra stepped in and took Bryce's place, or so they figured. Nonetheless, if it weren't for her, he wouldn't have survived resisting Chain's procedure. Grateful as they were, though, the wait was anxious.

During the time that passed, Tulip had told Bryce everything that Kierra told her. It was a lot to process for the both of them, admittedly, but Bryce was able to grasp the story. Of course, he wouldn't have believed it if Kierra didn't mention Penny and how Tabitha tried to keep her safe for all that time. He figured that part out himself before Chain tried to bring him under. Still, he couldn't help but get mixed feelings about it.

"So, Kierra's helping Penny help us get out of here?"

"Yeah. At least, that's what she told me. That girl's really stubborn. Kinda like her big brother."

Bryce began to blush from hearing this, though he was still worried about her.

"Maybe. But what if those guards find her? What's she going to do, then?"

Tulip put her hand on his shoulder to help him keep calm.

"Bryce. It's not gonna come to that."

"Yeah? How do you know?"

"Because Penny's not alone."

Tulip then got the picture out of her pocket before showing it to Bryce, speaking softly to him as she looked at the picture with him.

"She never was."

Bryce has looked at the picture before, but with her words, she began to see her point. And just as he did, the images of Tabitha and Bailey began to change with him and Tulip taking their place with the young baby turning into the six-year-old they knew and loved. It was reminiscent of how close they were in the Crystal Car back when they sang their duet. The memory made him smile a bit as Tulip's hand held Bryce's while she spoke.

"She'll be okay, Bryce. I know she'll be."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."

Bryce then looked over to the wall on his left, knowing Kierra was on the other side.

"I just hope Kiera can pull it off..."

* * *

In Chain's chamber, Kierra sat down on the chair where the white light shone down on her. Having known what his device could do, Kierra was hoping something would kick in any moment to turn Chain and the other Scarecrows away from their posts. Though, if that failed, she knew that there's someone she can count on to keep her from going under Chain's spell. She knew, because she saw her before...

"Now, you've already seen how bleak this car is, haven't you? Imagine what the whole train is like."

If Kierra hadn't known of Tabitha's orphanage car, then maybe she would have. She was still unconvinced, though she didn't show it as Chain continued.

"Why fight it if you know the truth? People out there are still suffering, begging for help. But with you by our side, they'll get their help that much faster."

"Really? And how do you know?"

A part of herself was curious about that. Chain turned to Kierra as he enlightened her.

"Well, you must've known this train, like all trains, is a machine, haven't you?"

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Chain gave her a smile as he explained.

"That's just the point. If this train is a machine, it always has to work properly. The dark code is what plagued this car. I realize it may be your first time hearing this, but if the dark code ever got out of this car, millions will suffer."

Just as Chain finished the sentence, Kierra began to see people being attacked by acid rain as it fell upon them, melting them. She'd heard that story from Tabitha before, but it was even more gruesome than when she told it. Not comfortable with the images, Kierra tried as hard as she could not to think on them while Chain continued.

"That is why we need your skills. We can stop this tragedy before it starts, but not without your help. Who knows? You might even receive... closure."

Kierra continued her resistance, though she was curious about what he'd said.

"Closure? For what?"

"For your dear friend, Summer."

Kierra's eyes widened at the thought of this. The moment he mentioned her, Kierra began to see Summer in the car in front of her. Her eyes became filled with longing as Chain spoke in the background.

"Whatever has happened between the two of you will belong in the past. She will forgive you and be so proud of you for saving so many people under our guidance."

When Summer held out her hands to her with a smile, Kierra's eyes began to water as she murmured.

"She'd... be proud of me...?"

"Yes. Very, very proud. And now, you'll be happy! Eating, dancing, playing, running like children."

Kierra began to see what Chain was talking about. She began to see herself playing with Summer in the garden as they rolled on the newly restored grass with smiles on their faces before Summer ended up on top of Kierra, laughing with her before they looked at each other's eyes as Chain spoke.

"And she'll never leave you again. Summer will be more than happy to stay with you... forever."

Kierra's mouth began to curl up some in a smile as she replied in an almost trance-like state.

"Please. Never leave me again. Stay with me forever... Just... a little longer?"

Just then, Chain heard a ringing sound from his wrist, making him move up his cloak sleeve to see a small bright blue orb glowing before he tapped on it, making it show a hologram of the Castigator standing before him, much to his surprise as he spoke.

"Attention, all Scarecrows. The Renegade... has been captured."

Meanwhile, within the forest, Varicose was receiving that same signal before it showed Pike having retrieved the message as well in the Zoo. However, that message was also being played by the guards standing firm outside the chambers of Chain with Penny and Dr. West overhearing them in the tunnel.

"I repeat, the Renegade which has plagued our car has been captured and is in the custody of Julian the Tinkerer. Those of you away from the city are to report to the lab immediately. Tonight, we celebrate! We shall feast! Play music! Engage in splendid revelry! For this day, the Scarecrows conquer this train!"

Penny and Dr. West became mortified from hearing this news as the Scarecrows' members were joyful to hear this, cheering at this proclamation as they lined up single file and went to the tunnel that led to the elevator.

"Oh, no. What are we gonna do?"

Dr. West had a worried look on his face as he looked to Penny. He'd spent some time together with Tabitha in both this car and the Orphanage Car. Just imagining what could happen to her was more than he could bear. As much as he wanted to do something about it, he couldn't think on how with the swarm of Scarecrows.

"I don't know, Penny..."

* * *

Though, not everyone was happy. Pike, for one, was surprised. He knew how holed up in his lab Julian tended to get. For him to have captured her at all may just as well be a surprise in itself.

"The Renegade's been captured already? Well, I suppose things are finally looking up for him."

All the while, Ava, Atticus, and Rexy, who have overheard this grew worried.

"Oh, no."

"What unfortunate timing."

"Well, so much for our plan."

As Pike exited the zoo's main entrance with a look of satisfaction, Ava only bore a look of determination, speaking with a slowly rising anger.

"No. We're not done yet."

* * *

However, Varicose, on the other hand, was flummoxed. He was sent in search of the Renegade, yet there's a report that Julian captured her when he was regarded as a weakling. For him to snatch the Renegade from his grasp was an insult.

"Impossible! He couldn't have captured her! He didn't even set one foot out of the lab! How could this be?!"

* * *

All the while, Chain made an intrigued smirk as he hummed to himself.

"It seems Julian found the answer. He's a hero. He'll have a big reward. Huge, even."

Adding to his joyful surprise, Kierra rose up from the chair with a confused look, making Chain turn over to her as he spoke.

"Oh, and just in time, too."

"Just in time for what, sir?"

"The Scarecrows have just captured the Renegade."

Kierra raised her eyebrows in wonder as Chain continued.

"Not that I'm surprised. We always stomp out our enemies sooner or later."

"That's... wonderful news."

Hearing the change in tone, her resistance seemingly having been wiped clean, Chain made a smirk before agreeing with her.

"Yes. It is. And I do wish you'd come with us. But, you are in charge of this facility, yes? Perhaps you can stay here and guard it, just in case. Until then, we will celebrate our victory."

Chain then exited the room with a grinning laugh and closed the door, confident that the one who once resisted had now succumbed. However, a moment later, his beliefs were disproven. Kierra began looking to her left to see the device that shone its light on her. in that moment, she felt a tear come down her cheek from her eye before wiping it away and holding her hands together and closing her eyes with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Summer. That's two I owe you, now."

* * *

_Kierra thought back to when Summer was just in front of her. She missed seeing her face since she drove her away. Just to have her back was all she ever wanted. Then, she can finally tell her what she wanted with all her heart. But before she could, Summer spoke first with a concerned look._

_"You're not really gonna do this, are you?"_

_Like before, Summer was her voice of reason. Back then, she didn't take much thought into it and considered it one of her personalities. But now, she saw that it's what made her look up to Summer. It was her voice that saved her before. And now, it's saving her again._

_"Summer. Boy, am I glad to see you again."_

_Summer only turned her face away from Kierra as she spoke more sadly._

_"Are you, though?"_

_Kierra was about to answer her, but then, she remembered why she was so sad. She drove her away before she ever got on the train. Kierra always blames herself for breaking her heart since then. She didn't take any pity on herself._

_"Yes. I am. If anything, you're the whole reason I'm here."_

_Despite her compassionate tone, however, Summer took it as an offense, turning herself further away._

_"So you're saying it's all my fault."_

_Kierra's heart sank immediately to the pit she felt when she walked out of her life. She didn't want to fall into it again as she tried to explain herself._

_"Wait, no! That's not what I'm saying!"_

_"Well, it's what I'm hearing. If you wanted me to leave, you could've just said so..."_

_Those words tore her apart. Kierra was reliving that isolation all over again. But this time was different. This time, she can still make it right. Kierra made no hesitation to wrap her arms around her before holding her tightly, pulling her down until Summer laid on top of her as Kierra began to sob while speaking softly to her._

_"Please. Never leave me again. Stay with me forever..."_

_Upon hearing this, Summer's face widened in surprise before a blush came on her cheeks, followed by a smile as she spoke gently to her._

_"You really want me to stay?"_

_Kierra sniffled before she replied to her, struggling not to let her sob overpower her answer._

_"Yes... that's all I wanted."_

_Kierra then felt a soft touch on her cheeks. She opened her teary eyes to see Summer looking at her with compassion as she spoke._

_"Then don't let them control you. You're the one who gets to make all the choices for yourself. You always have been. Nobody gets to take that away from you."_

_Kierra then began to sob even harder as she held her arms around Summer tighter. Summer looked initially surprised by her grip, but her voice said different as she spoke to her._

_"Kierra, I know you miss me. But you have to wake up."_

_Kierra didn't want it to end, however. She never had dreams where she and Summer were back together before the train. She didn't want to go away from them so soon._

_"Just... a little longer?"_

_Summer only closed her eyes as she spoke to her again._

_"I can't do that. But... maybe I can stick around long enough."_

_Curious about the meaning, Kierra eased on her hugging enough for her and Summer's face to look upon each other as the latter held her hands on her cheeks._

_"For what?"_

_"This..."_

_In that moment, Summer pressed her lips against Kierra's making her widen her eyes before her eyes sank as well until they were closed as the background began to get engulfed in light._

* * *

In the present, Kierra was looking at her hands as she spoke to herself.

"I wonder if you'd really do that for me when I see you again..."

As much as she missed Summer, though, Kierra knew that something had to be done about the Scarecrows. She quickly put on her face of determination towards Chain's device before she spoke to herself.

"Until then, I have to earn you back."

Not long after, Kierra exited the room with the device in her cloak pocket before noticing how vacant the room was. That must mean the distraction finally kicked in. And that being the case, Kierra noticed that the guards weren't near the next door, either.

"Nobody's guarding it? Perfect."

Kierra opened the door all the way to see Bryce and Tulip were awake, and having recovered from the side effects of Chain's mind games. However, that did little to make her less worried.

"Okay, guys. The coast is clear. We have to go, now."

Kierra then began to lead the way as Tulip and Bryce looked to each other before they followed her. While they did, they noticed how tense she is. She wasn't like that the last time Tulip saw her. For her, that could only mean something went wrong. But she had to be sure.

"Kierra? What's going on?"

"Something went wrong. Tabitha's been captured."

Bryce and Tulip both gasped simultaneously. She'd done so much to keep Penny and the other passengers safe, but to hear of her capture... No wonder Kierra looked so worried. Even worse was imagining how Penny would react to this news. She'd be heartbroken, or worse... Bryce just couldn't let that go unanswered as he spoke to Kierra with worry.

"Well, what are we doing here, then? Shouldn't we go help her?"

"Well, I have to let the others know it's okay, first."

When Kierra stopped in front of a pile of rocks by the rocky wall, Tulip and Bryce were confused for a moment. But they remembered quickly that according to her, Penny was waiting in the tunnels. The rocks could've been placed there to conceal it. It's a miracle the Scarecrows didn't notice it. Though, it didn't hurt to be careful as Kierra spoke to the rocky pile.

"Uh, guys. The coast is clear for now."

Suddenly, just in that moment, the pile of rocks moved by themselves and assembled themselves into a deer-shaped being. When the rocks were joined together, it formed a giant deer before its skin pattern turned to normal much to Bryce and Tulip's surprise.

"Uh, Bryce? Did those rocks just turn into—?"

"A deer? Yeah. I saw it, too."

At the same time, Dr. West and Penny came out of the tunnel with the former taking the opportunity to exit the tunnel as Bryce and Tulip were astounded by the deer's ability.

"Oh, thank goodness! It's about time I got to stretch my legs."

Seeing this familiar face, Bryce became astonished. He didn't think he'd see a familiar face from the Orphanage Car here, even when Tulip passed on what Kierra told her. To see him was a great surprise. Though, Tulip was confused on how he knew him.

"Dr. West? What are you doing here?"

"Wait. You know him?"

"Yeah. He patched me up real good when I first got on the train."

"Well, I'm glad you recognize me. But I'm not the only one here."

Dr. West moved to the side to reveal Penny whole simultaneously letting her see her friends' faces again. When she left them behind, the little girl was afraid of what could happen to them. Now that they're with her again, she didn't want to let them go.

"Tulip! Bryce! You're okay!"

The two of them, after shaking off the surprise of seeing a pile of rocks turn into a deer, knelt down to hug the little girl as she giggled with relief while Tulip gave her a slight noogie in her head.

"You're one tough girl, aren't you?"

"I'm so glad you're here, sis."

As Penny welcomed back the comfort of being with her friends again, Dr. West had a sad smile on his face before turning to Kierra. As he did, his sad smile was turning into a worried frown. Kierra took note of it and felt bad for him. The distraction was her idea after all. For all she knew, her being captured might be part of it. It wasn't long before Bryce checked on her.

"You doing okay, Penny?"

Penny was about to reply, but her face saddened quickly, much to Bryce's confusion.

"Actually, I'm not. Ms. Tabby got caught by the Scarecrows."

Hearing Penny say this put a pit in Kierra's stomach, and she turned away in sadness while Bryce tried to reassure her.

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll help her, right, Tulip?"

"Yeah. After what she did for you, it's the least we can do."

As Penny became reassured, Bryce turned to Kierra for an idea on how to free her.

"So, what's the plan?"

Bryce didn't receive an answer from Kierra save for her silence. But he did see a face riddled with guilt. He knew that look all too well: he had that same one himself before...

"I'm sorry about this, guys. Maria being captured is all my fault. If I hadn't suggested that stupid distraction, she'd still be free."

Hearing this, Tulip, Bryce, and Penny began to feel sorry for Kierra. There's no telling what she must've been going through after what happened to her in the Scarecrows' nest. But before she could berate herself any further, Dr. West tried to reassure her. He knew Maria very well. And it was thanks to that that he was able to understand the situation. As such, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Kierra. Tabitha always told me how she just wanted to finish it. She told me that if the opportunity came to take back this car and set everything back to the way they were, she'd jump the gun on it every time. That didn't have anything to do with you."

Although Kierra knew that truth just as well from her earlier argument in Tabitha's base, Penny still didn't feel it right to leave her behind. She fought for the people of this car, for their freedom. It wouldn't be right to her if she didn't do the same. She owed it to her for all those years she's been by her side. But then, she thought about the rest of her friends. It just came to mind that One-One and Atticus were still under their thrall as well. This brought quite the conundrum for the little girl.

"Well, what are we gonna do? I wanna save Ms. Tabby, but I wanna save One-One and Atticus, too. But I don't know where any of them are."

This made Dr. West remember the map that Ms. Tabitha gave her prior to their entering Nirvana City. She trusted him to free the other passengers with her help, but he knew they can't do that with the map. Then, he remembered what Kierra said she'd do before Tabitha got captured. In that moment, he hoped she was able to find something to help out with that.

"Kierra?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you find anything that's causing the Scarecrows to brainwash them?"

Kierra then remembered the device she'd snatched from Chain's chamber as she held it out for them to see while confirming it.

"Yeah. I think I can be able to reverse-engineer it."

"Good. And Bryce. Use this map to look for your friends. If they're taken by the Scarecrows, they should be somewhere on this map."

Bryce raised his eyes in confusion from hearing the Doctor's request.

"R-Really? But why would you give it to me?"

"Tabitha trusted me to find a way to free those Passengers from the Scarecrows. And obviously, I can't do that with the map."

"But Ms. Tabitha's—"

"I know, Bryce. But out of all people, she trusted you to watch over Penny. And I can't stop her from trying to help people any longer."

Dr. West then turned his attention to Penny and knelt down to her before he spoke softly to the little girl.

"And Penny. If you want to save your friends, I won't stop you. But you must be careful and listen to Bryce. Can you do that for Tabitha?"

Penny looked up to her big brother. In the time span since she knew him, he's never let her down, up until his truth got out. And when he did, he proved how willing he was to make it right with her. In doing so, he proved how much being a big brother meant to him, how much _she _meant to him. Penny gave a big smile to him as she nodded to Dr. West.

"I will. I promise."

Dr. West then gave her a gentle hug as she did the same for him while Bryce and Tulip watched, each with a smile on their faces before Dr. West looked to the two of them.

"Tulip, Bryce, I'll be working with Kierra to get the device to free those passengers from their control. Meanwhile, I need you to keep Penny safe. Can I count on you two?"

Tulip didn't hesitate to answer him, nor did Bryce. They both cared about her very much with the time they shared and they've proved it time and time again. What was one more time to them?

"Of course, you can. We won't let anything happen to her."

"She's in good hands, Dr. West. You can trust us."

Dr. West gave his smile to them as he replied.

"I know."

With that, Bryce took a look at the map and looked at the directions. Each pathway they looked at was on a grand scale, maybe to fit the entirety of Nirvana City's underbelly onto it. But he knew that to get from A to B, he had to find point A first. Although, Tulip was more focused on Point B.

"So, where should we look?"

"Okay. So, if our friends are taken prisoner, there's gotta be a dungeon someplace. Maybe we can start looking there."

However, the deer had other plans. It suddenly raised its ears when it heard a feminine crying, making Penny confused as it looked around for the source that seemed to speak to it.

_"This is all my fault..."_

"Mr. Deer, are you okay?"

The deer did not answer, but it trotted away towards the elevator. Tulip became curious about its behavior as she turned to Dr. West, hoping he can shed some light on it.

"Where the heck is it going?"

"How should I know? It wasn't always helpful, but it always listened to Penny for some reason."

Bryce turned over to Penny and had a theory about why it was going to the elevator, but he needed to confirm it before he can solidify it.

"Did you tell it to go to the elevator, Penny?"

She only shook her head before she answered.

"No. I didn't tell it to go anywhere. All I did was ask if it was alright."

The deer then stamped his hoof on the ground, almost as if it was waiting for the three of them. Left with no other option, Bryce had to go along with it, if only to keep it from exposing the fact that they escaped. But Tulip wasn't sure how to go about it. Even though she knew things wouldn't always be logical, this seemed a bit too strange for her.

"Well... I guess we're following the deer."

"Are you sure it's a good idea, though?"

"Honestly, no. But it did help Penny and Dr. West hide as long as they did. If any of them are around the bend, maybe it can hide us, too. And apparently, it only listens to Penny."

Penny unwittingly proved his point as she spoke gently to it.

"Uh, Mr. Deer, can you stop tapping your hoof, please?"

In compliance, it ceased the stamping before laying down at the back of the elevator, much to her gratitude.

"Thank you."

Seeing this, Tulip and Bryce widened their eyes before the former spoke up.

"Okay, I'll bite."

The two of them then proceeded to join Penny and the deer in the elevator just as she pushed a number on the elevator that said -3, a third floor closest to the surface from below. Once inside, Tulip and Bryce noticed Kierra through the elevator door as she waved to them before the former returned the favor.

"I hope you guys have good luck."

"Thanks. You too."

With the doors closed, Kierra took a deep breath before looking to the device in her hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ava, Rexy, and Atticus were still stuck in the zoo. With news of Tabitha's capture having reached them, the trio was caught off guard. The news may have been in celebration for the Scarecrows, but for them, it was only adding to the pressure. Ava especially felt that pressure on her, but she wasn't one to let herself be crushed by it. If anything, it's only made her more determined. Ava was pacing around, trying to think of a way around it as Rexy became curious.

"So now what? What's next for the revolution?"

Ava turned to her companion before answering him as she continued her pacing.

"We're still in the process of making it happen, Rexy. It's just... it's just a little more tricky this time."

"A little? For all we know, that guy might be the only one who knew how to handle all the other locks, but he's left the building! I'm telling ya, Ava. We're out of options, here."

However, Atticus felt it too soon to give up. When he was brought to the Zoo, he remembered how all the other locks were handled.

"Not quite. There is another way to handle all the locks."

Ava and Rexy both turned to the Corgi King, interested to know the alternative.

"There is?"

"And what's that?"

Atticus looked at the high point of the Zoo and pointed to it in a pointer-like fashion as he answered.

"Point! That tower holds all the controls on the other locks, or so I've heard."

Looking at the flight of stairs on the side of the Zoo's wall which are closed off from the open by a gate, Ava put her fingers on her chin as she considered his idea. Although it is a good prospect, it's most likely that Pike would've locked it.

"Good idea, but that door has got to be locked. We'll need a key."

This made Ava and Atticus look to Rexy almost immediately as he was picking his teeth with his claws before he took notice of them staring at him.

"What?"

Not long after, Ava, Atticus, and Rexy were at the tower, the dinosaur of the group using his claws to open up the lock. Though, Rexy was reluctant to try because of how sensitive he was about them. But much as he resisted, Ava was insistent on him using his nails.

"Come on, guys! Do we really have to use _my _nails?"

"Yes, Rexy. We have to unlock it somehow."

"But why can't we use Atticus' nails, then?"

Atticus put up a straight face towards Rexy as he replied matter-of-factly.

"I'm afraid it's not very realistic."

Despite his word, Rexy was still hesitant to do so. That is, until Ava brought up an ultimatum in a casual sing-song tone.

"Rexy, if you don't do this, you won't get the King's reward."

Immediately, Rexy's eyes widened, his pupils promptly turning into money signs before they went back to normal as he spoke.

"Well, if there's no other choice."

Rexy then began to use one of his long nails to pick the lock on the door. It was a bit of a difficult process to handle, but after a while, Rexy managed to unlock the door.

"Aha! Got it."

Rexy opened the door and went inside with Atticus looking to Ava for her form of motivation.

"What did you mean by a King's reward?"

"It's a long story."

Ava and Atticus followed Rexy inside the tower and found, as the Corgi stated, a panel of controls. But it was hard to tell which one would open the locks on all the cages. With so many flashing buttons, they might as well play Russian Roulette with them, not that it'd be helpful. Ava was positively stumped as she looked left and right on the buttons.

"Alright. Now, which one would handle all the locks...? Do you have any ideas, Atticus?"

Atticus only shrugged as he replied, looking at Ava and his raised paw as if he was watching a black-and-white movie.

"I'm afraid you're asking the wrong canine. Truth be told, I'm colorblind. I can only see black and white."

"Great. Well, do you think you can at least sniff out the one that can handle all the locks?"

Atticus began to shiver with a double-take as he answered her.

"I would never! I don't know where their rotten fingers have been!"

However, Rexy had an idea as he cleared his throat.

"How about you let _me _handle this?"

As Rexy hopped up onto the chair in front of the panel, Ava had her doubts about how he's going to find the button to undo the locks.

"And what exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna do what I do best: I'm gonna wreck it!"

Living up to his name, Rexy the Wrecker began to claw at the control panel with his claws, shredding it apart piece by piece before chomping on the wires, electrocuting himself in the process with a jolt, much to Ava and Atticus' surprise. But, as a fortunate result, the locks began to open up one by one, releasing the ostriches, giraffes, hippos, ponies, monkeys, blue jay birds, hairless wildcats, giant albino alligators, a wooly mammoth, an air breathing octopus, and a gorilla wearing a Hawaiian shirt as his chains came undone, releasing him from their grip just as another gorilla with a tuba around his arms opened his own door while the former gorilla spoke while rubbing his wrists.

"Ah! That's more like it."

Back at the tower, Rexy was blown to the wall from the discharge, making Ava and Atticus go over to him as he appeared to be singed from the initial electrocution.

"Rexy! Are you alright?"

"That looked like it positively stung."

Rexy only looked to the two of them as he slurred, recovering from the biggest shock he'd ever gotten in his life.

"No more for me, thanks. I'm driving."

Rexy then fell unconscious as Ava sighed in relief before she spoke to him.

"Never mind. Just get your rest. You've earned it."

Ava and Atticus then looked out over from the tower window and saw countless denizens of every odd and end standing out in the field of the Zoo while Atticus turned over to her.

"Well, it would appear that we've succeeded."

Ava began to smile as she brushed her hand against his snout.

"Yeah. All thanks to Rexy the Wrecker."

However, while they were free, Tabitha wasn't. And who knows what that could mean for them? They got as close as they could to finding a door out of here, but if Tabitha ended up captured for that to happen, what did that matter? Ava wasn't sure if she'd ever live that down. She put on a look of determination as she walked to the window and saw the denizens as she spoke to Atticus.

"But we're not done yet. Not while Tabitha's captured."

"And how are we to free her?"

Ava put on a smile as she figured out the answer quickly.

"We rally them."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip, Penny, Bryce, and the Deer arrived in the third floor below the surface of Nirvana City. The hallways themselves were long halls with slightly dirty, white linoleum tiled floors (with a few broken and cracked tiles placed in an odd numbered fashion). The walls were dark grey with some doors similar to those from the waiting room, a bulletin board filled with ripped up paper teachings of the Scarecrows on them, and a row of dark grey thick frame photos of important figures of the paradise car that are vandalized by the Scarecrows, their faces blackened with spray paint, broken frames, and yet another example of hateful words over the framed photos/on the wall. Tulip and Bryce were no stranger to this, but it made Penny very uncomfortable. What she found on the floor made it all worse.

Littered on the ground was what appeared to be red liquid, burn marks beside them, muddy foot prints, crumpled up/ripped up paper pieces, and slash marks from a sword being dragged on the floor. Most likely from Varicose, recognizing how he'd come very close to doing her in. Penny became scared of what it meant as she held tightly onto Bryce's leg.

"I'm not sure I like this place..."

"Honestly, I'm not sure, either, Penny."

While Bryce comforted Penny, Tulip had to wonder about something as she looked to the deer.

"Then... why would it bring us here? What's it trying to—?"

Before she could finish, the deer trotted out, going underneath a long, glass window strip over the ceiling that gave some light in the mostly darkened and shadowy hall. Sometimes their is a grey silver elevator door that is kept in prime condition then most of the halls, they can be found on some corners of the halls before stopping and licking the red liquid, much to Tulip's disgust as she tried to stop it from doing so.

"Hey. Don't eat that. You don't know where it's been."

However, it was too late. The deer's body began to glow bright red all over. Not long after, it began to breathe fire through its mouth, scaring the trio as they backed away from it. Bryce was becoming very scared of it now.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?!"

To make matters worse, its mouth stretched and grew big, the flames growing with it while his ears spun out of control before shooting off like rockets smashing the walls and windows, and flying around the place. Tulip and the others had to duck as she knew how to calm it down.

"Does anyone have a water bottle?!"

That's when Tulip began to have an idea as she gasped.

"Wait a minute."

Tulip desperately dug into her backpack as Bryce and Penny evaded the ear rockets before finding just the thing and pulling it out.

"Aha! Gotcha!"

Tulip then opened her bottle, aimed for the deer's mouth, and chucked the water from the water bottle into the deer's mouth, cooling it down as its ears popped up again while the tongue turned black and shriveled before it suddenly snapped off like a branch as it grew a new one. Penny was grossed out from the black tongue as she spoke to herself while Tulip scolded it.

"Ew..."

"That's it. No more... whatever that is for you."

The deer's ears perked up, seemingly in response to Tulip's words, making her worried.

"Oh, please tell me it's not gonna breathe fire again..."

However, it wasn't out of the need to breathe fire; it was because someone was drawing closer to them. It was almost gravelly, and very sinister for certain. And he appeared to be celebrating from the sound of it.

"Ah, glorious! Finally, the recognition I deserve!"

The deer stood up, giving Bryce the feeling that something must be going on.

"Uh, Tulip? I think it's about to get worse..."

Then, the deer began to grow a few more feet in height, the antlers nearly chipping the ceiling tiles. Bryce looked over to Penny, hoping she'd be able to get through to it.

"Uh, Penny, don't you think you should reign it in a little?"

Hoping to settle it down, Penny walked over to the deer and gently placed her hand on the deer.

"What's wrong, Mr. deer?"

As an answer, it only trotted away from Penny before sitting down on the floor and turning invisible. Bryce and Tulip naturally assumed the worst as they spoke.

"Great. It's ditched us."

"Now what do we do?"

However, having seen its invisibility in action, Penny knew better and went over where the deer sat down, going in between it and the wall as she spoke to them.

"Over here. We can hide behind him."

Bryce and Tulip were unsure how that can work, especially when it appeared too desperate.

"Are you sure?"

"He'd probably be able to..."

Before she could finish, Tulip noticed that there was nobody behind the deer, or so it appeared. When she looked above the deer, trying to confirm she was there, Tulip found Penny crouching where she was. Maybe it didn't turn invisible, but it camouflaged itself. No wonder it was able to hide Penny as long as it did.

"Huh. Never mind."

This evidence helped Tulip feel better about taking that chance. However, the evidence around them wouldn't help it much, especially when that strange voice grew louder as he got closer.

"It's been a very long time since receiving such praise."

With how loud it was getting, Bryce would guess there wasn't much time. Any longer, and they'd be caught for sure.

"We better hide and quick."

With that, the two of them hid behind the deer alongside Penny and kept themselves as silent as they could just when the source of the voice stepped by the way. This figure was none other than Julian the Tinkerer. To them, he was just another Scarecrow to worry about. He was roaming the hallways, carrying the vial of red liquid sulfur in his hand while humming a tune. He didn't seem to notice them, because he didn't even bother going down the hallway they were in. Though, he did take a look and notice the carnage the deer caused. The group held themselves silent as Julian stared. A short while later, he gave a shrug as he spoke.

"Hmph. Someone should really consider cleaning this mishmash up."

A moment after, Julian left the hallway, continuing on his pathway. All the while, the trio drew a breath of relief with Bryce speaking quietly.

"That was close..."

However, the familiar voice of a brute proved them wrong.

"You think yourself so smart!"

It was Varicose. This made the trio gasp in fear before looking behind them. Surprisingly, for a voice so close, nobody was there. Still, Penny didn't want to take any chances as she stayed down.

"Where is he...?"

"I don't think he's behind us..."

Julian's voice proved him correct as he responded.

"Now, what are you prattling on about?"

Tulip could make a guess as to where it came from as she went a bit closer to the corner to peep out the scene.

"Sounds like its coming from over there..."

Penny seemed to be curious about the scene herself as she looked to the camouflaged deer.

"Can we get a closer look?"

The deer responded as it quietly stood up and walked closer to the corner along with Tulip before Penny and Bryce followed it. When they'd gotten close enough for the three to see the scene, it sat itself back down before Varicose began to accuse Julian.

"There was no trace of her anywhere near the lab, not even your sniveling assistant! You're a fraud!"

Julian began to growl at him, not just for his accusation, but to what he'd just labeled Bailey as. Insults towards him was something he's all too familiar with, but any insult to Bailey, the only person who saw the good in him, was a death sentence. Despite it, Varicose pressed him further.

"You dare call Charleston a sniveling assistant?"

"You can swindle the Castigator and the others, but NOT ME! I see through you, Julian. Your so-called 'capture of the Renegade' is a lie!"

He gave Julian a shove, making him exclaim as he fell to the floor, spilling some of the sulfuric essence on the floor and burning it where it was spilled in the process while Bryce, Tulip, and Penny overheard his words. Was it possible for her to have escaped? This was something Penny hoped for.

"Wait. Ms. Tabby got out?"

Back at the scene, Julian glared at Varicose as he retorted.

"Hands off, malcontent!"

"Well, what can you do to stop me, weakling?!"

That was the last straw for Julian as he quickly took Varicose's arm with his left hand, which was revealed to be supported by wires all around his arm with them glowing dark red before he clenched hard on it, nearly crushing his bones as he groaned before Julian countered.

"It seems _you _are the weak one! No wonder you failed to capture the Renegade. Maybe the only fraud here is YOU!"

Julian then smashed his hand on the wall to his right with a heavy thud, smashing it to pieces as they fell to the floor while simultaneously making the group pull back a bit from the corner, especially Penny. When they creep back to the corner again, they saw Varicose on his knees, holding his wounded hand in shock before looking up to him.

"Impossible...!"

Julian then glared towards Varicose with a smirking sneer as he spoke.

"When we fail our Castigator, we must be PUNISHED!"

Julian then trampled his crushed hand with his foot, making him yell in agony, causing Penny, Tulip, and Bryce to be stunned by such cruelty on him. Julian would've made it longer, but Chain's voice spoke up from where Varicose came from as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, friends. No need for quarrel. Nothing worse than seeing Scarecrow turn on Scarecrow."

Julian only growled at Chain before he lifted his foot off of the hand and talked down to him.

"You needn't worry about the Renegade. She's already turned in to the dungeon as we speak. They must be planning such a service in my honor by now."

Somehow or another, as Varicose was clutching his hand, Penny began to feel bad for Varicose as Julian knelt down to him.

"Who's the weakling now, Varicose?"

Julian then walked away, laughing to himself with Chain humming to himself while walking behind him as Varicose snarled before turning away and going down the hall their way and limped, carrying his broken hand with him. Once they were both gone, Penny spoke her thoughts on the situation quietly. And Tulip couldn't agree more with her once she remembered how the Castigator treated Pike when they last saw him.

"That old man was scary."

"I think they all are. And that Castigator guy must be behind all of that. No wonder Tabitha wanted to stop him."

This made Penny remember Ms. Tabitha's situation, as well as Julian's words. This made her hold her head down before Bryce put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We're gonna help her. I promise."

Penny gave him a soft smile as she replied back to him gently.

"I know."

Just then, the deer perked its ears up again, hearing the feminine sob at a loud enough volume for it to locate. It caught the group's attention as Penny looked to it.

"Did you find her, Mr. deer?"

Again, the deer did not answer and merely followed the sound of sobs down the hallway Julian had come from, turning itself back to normal from its camouflaged state. Tulip and Penny became concerned with it being out in the open as the group ran to it while whisper-shouting to it.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Come back, Mr. deer!"

This time, the deer did not listen to Penny's request. They couldn't understand why it was just going off on its own, especially Penny since the deer usually listened to her. To be fair, though, Dr. West warned her it wasn't always so cooperative. But for now, they had to follow it and make sure it didn't give itself away (or themselves, for that matter).

A little while later, the deer's ears perked up again before it turned left at the intersection of the next hallway, and the path seemed to be going deeper to the underground. The walls around it were the same as the place where Chain's chamber resides several floors below. Fortunately, there were some ceiling lights to reveal the pathway, which was especially helpful in following the deer. And while the group followed the deer, the group began to hear the same crying the deer heard. It was the saddest thing they've ever heard, especially for Penny.

She recognized that voice all too well. The last time she'd heard it, it was laughing and full of joy when she first came into this car, though it may have been an illusion. The voice she's hearing now... it's the sound of despair. She needed to be sure Bryce and Tulip heard it, if only to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

"Are you guys hearing it, too?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately..."

Having never heard that voice before, Tulip had to make a guess as to who it belonged to.

"Wait. Maybe it's Tabitha. That must be why the deer led us here."

The theory itself seemed justifiable, but Bryce knew better as he shook his head.

"I'm not so sure it's her. I met Tabitha before, and her voice doesn't sound anything like the one we're hearing right now."

"Then who else could it be?"

"I'm not sure."

But Penny knew who the voice belonged to. Her tears that began to form on her eyes proved it. She wanted to believe it's her, but at the same time, she didn't rule out the possibility that it was yet another illusion. To be sure, Penny began to run ahead of the group just as the deer happened to take off, much to the worry of Tulip and Bryce.

"Penny, wait!"

"Where are you going?!"

Their voices faded away as Penny ran as fast as she could towards the voice of anguish. The deer was getting farther ahead of her, but she didn't care. She wanted to help her that very instant. While the voice sobbed, the volume growing louder as she got close, she could only imagine her mother all by herself and alone. That must be why she's so sad. She'd understand how that felt.

Apart from Ms. Tabitha, she was alone for most of her life. She couldn't make friends, even if she wanted to with how shy she was. But Bryce was there for her, and then Tulip. Whoever was crying, illusion or not, Penny knew she needed to help her the way they helped her... Her conscience just simply wouldn't allow otherwise.

Suddenly, Penny bumped into the deer before she fell to the ground on her butt. It took her quite a while for reality to sink in as she looked up to the deer and saw that it was just standing there, looking at something as it sniffed before walking in. Penny was wondering what it was about. Why did he run all that way just to stop and walk in a random room. Penny found her answer when she turned over to the direction the deer was walking. She couldn't believe what she saw, nor could she believe _who _she saw.

Penny noticed a woman with long-brown hair sobbing with her hands over her face. Of course, during that time, the deer helped itself to a small container of grass kept on a shelf before sitting down. All the while, One-One's sad side was comforting her with his voice as he gently rubbed his nub on her hip while the good side sat beside them.

"It's okay, Ms. Bailey. Let it all out..."

Penny widened her eyes upon seeing the familiar two halves of a ball beside the woman. This was even better news by far.

"One-One! You're okay!"

Penny rushed over to One-One elatedly just as his good side waddled over to her.

"Ms. Penny! You're alive!"

Happy as the two were to see each other again, Sad One abruptly cut it short.

"Shh! Keep it down. Ms. Bailey's going through some stuff..."

This made Penny feel embarrassed as she looked back to Sad One.

"Oh, sorry. I was just so happy to see you again."

"Well, it's more than we can say for Ms. Bailey, though."

"Do you know what's wrong?"

"She just lost her friend. And I don't know if we'll ever get her back..."

This made the woman sob even worse as she flopped onto the bed on her back.

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ME FEEL ANY BETTER!"

While the woman that One-One called Ms. Bailey continued to sob her heart out, Penny felt bad for the woman as she sighed just before Bryce and Tulip caught up. When they did, they saw that Penny had found not only the source of the crying, but also One-One. This made the two of them surprised as they spoke simultaneously.

"One-One?! What are you—?!"

Before they could finish, Penny shushed them quickly with a finger over her mouth, pointing to the weeping Bailey. Upon noticing her, they became embarrassed before they began to notice how familiar the woman was. Though her face couldn't be seen, her hair triggered that memory from the picture that they've looked at together

"Wait. Tulip, doesn't she look... kinda familiar?"

"Yeah. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

Penny was a bit surprised to hear that she was familiar to the two of them. But as much as she wanted to know, she needed to help the woman feel better again. She walked up to the woman as she sobbed on a pillow before trying to speak with her.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

The woman responded bitterly through her sniffles, though she didn't turn to face the girl; she was too ashamed to do it.

"Why bother? It's all my fault, anyway... I'm the one who helped the Scarecrows bring in all those passengers... And I just sold out Tabitha to them... And there's nothing I can do."

Bryce and Tulip were shocked to hear that news. Could she have been captured because of her? Tulip wasn't sure how to feel about it, but Bryce could tell from the look of her that she felt guilty about what happened. He ought to know, because he was the exact same way. As for Penny, she tried to get Bailey to snap out of her somberness.

"But there's still some time. We can fix it."

"What do you know? You're just a figment of my imagination."

Upon being told this, Penny couldn't help but be hurt from those words, though she knew it wasn't her fault for saying that. Maybe she didn't believe she was alive, nor did she realize who she was talking to, but if she was this upset, it wasn't even close to a bad thing; it's worse.

"I've made too much people suffer already, and I can't take any of it back now. Let's just face it. I'm better off dead. It's not like anybody would miss me..."

That was the last straw for Penny. She would admittedly expect that guilt from her older brother Bryce, which was understandable. But to hear it from her mother? That was the last thing she ever wanted to hear again. Just as she began to shed tears of anger, Penny's hand tensed up into a fist before she slammed it on the bed, the owner of which proceeding to rebuke her for ever saying those words.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!"

This caught Tulip, Bryce, and One-One's attention as they gasped simultaneously. Even Bailey was caught unawares before Penny continued.

"So what if you messed up?! You shouldn't think like that at all, even if things are that bad!"

Bailey laid still, seemingly stunned by her outburst. But her breathing gave the signal that she was still listening, letting Penny continue with a deep breath.

"Maybe it was your fault... but it doesn't mean you can't fix it. Ms. Tabby learned it from you. Remember?"

A small tear managed to escape from her eye as she recalled how happy Tabitha was around her. For all that time, she believed in her. And even amidst her capture, she was still happy around her. Bailey began to smile a bit to herself as she closed her eyes.

"If only I'd learned that six years ago. I don't know if I can fix any of it anymore, even if I want to. And even if I do... would anyone ever forgive me? After what I did...?"

Penny climbed up on top of the bed before gently placing her hand on top of the cheek of her face, making Bailey shudder from how warm and gentle the touch was. In that instant, she began to remember the last time she felt such a sensation. It was six years ago, back when she still had her baby with her... as she remembered, Penny spoke softly.

"I don't know if I can speak for everyone else, but... I will."

Tabitha turned her attention to see a young girl looking over her. She wore a pink jacket over her white shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers that were dangling on the edge of the bed. When she got a good look at her face, Bailey's eyes widened as she recalled what Tabitha said to her before.

_"Let's just say she's closer than you think."_

As she stared her right in the face, Bailey uttered the first word that came to her mind.

"Penny...?"

Penny gave her a smile back as she began to cry herself.

"Mommy..."

The two of them hugged each other quickly with Penny lunging at her as she shouted.

"MOMMY!"

While the two embraced each other, holding themselves close, they began to cry out of joy as Tulip, Bryce, and One-One watched. Bryce and Tulip found it hard not to tear up at such a beautiful reunion they never thought was possible. In fact, it related very much to what they wanted to do if ever they got back home. Tulip smiled at her before taking off her glasses to rub her eyes from the tears before Bryce abruptly hugged her.

Tulip was initially surprised by the gesture, but she figured out it was too much for him to bear with the condition his own parents were in. And she was willing to help console him with her own hug as One-One became just as happy before realizing what it meant.

"Kudos for you, Ms. Penny! You've found your mum!"

"Wait. She's your mother? Oh, I knew I shouldn't have told her about my sensitive parts..."

Penny giggled a bit from his words before wiping her tears away as Bailey spoke to her.

"Oh, you've gotten so big...!"

"I missed you so much, Mommy."

As she held Penny close to her, Bailey then took notice of Tulip, Bryce, and the deer just outside the quarters.

"And who are they?"

Hearing that question, Bryce and Tulip blushed beet red before turning to her, stopping their hug altogether as they replied to her.

"Uh, my name's Tulip."

"And I'm... Bryce. It's nice to meet you."

Bailey showed a look of confusion before she looked down to Penny.

"Do you know them?"

"Uh-huh. They helped me find you."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

Tulip and Bryce nodded to her as they spoke.

"Glad we can help."

"It's the least we can do."

In that moment, both sides of One-One waddled over to Penny and Bailey as his glad side spoke to her.

"They're really good folks once you get to know each other. Plus, I think they really love each other."

This made the two of them embarrassed as they spoke, their blushes getting deeper as Tulip shouted first.

"Aw, One-One!"

"You didn't have to tell her that!"

Bailey couldn't help but laugh at their interaction before she remembered what Penny said to her.

"So, wait. You said they helped you... find me?"

Penny gave her a nod of confirmation before Bailey looked back to them. While it's true that Penny wouldn't have come this far without help, it began to make sense for Tabitha to be called the Renegade. They must've been helping her with the uprising. At least, until she inadvertently stopped it. Then again, she could be wrong.

"Hold on. That means... do any of you guys know Maria Tabitha?"

Tulip and Bryce answered her respectively in their own circumstances.

"Well, I've heard about her from Bryce."

"And she's the one who gave Penny to me, so I could look after her like an older brother. And there's also this."

Bryce took out a small picture from his pocket to show a photo of herself with Tabitha and young Penny before she took notice of it and began to get curious, turning to her older brother for an answer.

"Where'd you get it?"

"I found it in that waiting chamber. I figured Tabitha should be able to see it."

After a moment of looking at the picture, Bailey put on a look of determination as she sat up on the bed.

"Guys, I think I know how I can make it right."

The group all looked over to Bailey as Penny grew curious.

"What is it?"

"We need to get to Julian's machine. It should be in his lab."

However, Tulip and Bryce were still worried about another friend they couldn't find. Pike may have called it a zoo, but for all they knew, it may as well be a prison.

"But what about Atticus?"

"Yeah. We can't just leave him behind."

However, One-One wasn't so quick to worry. He knew Atticus just as well as the others did, and he showed his faith as he came together into one with his glad voice speaking.

"I don't think we need to worry. Knowing Atticus, he's probably leading a brave resistance right this second."

* * *

Though One-One was right on one part, Atticus was dealing with a rather anxious lot. The denizens that were freed just a moment ago were nervous about what may happen if they set foot out of the zoo. And it's a possibility that not one of them wished to explore. Still, Atticus needed them to know what's at stake as Ava tended to the electrocuted Rexy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. And I stand before you to ask for your help in the defiance of the malignant Scarecrows."

Despite Atticus' rousing speech, the denizens were still reluctant. It was understandable, though. Who knows how long they've been held captive? Ava could recognize that as she spoke to Atticus.

"I don't think they're up for it, Atticus. They've been through too much to even consider that. Not that I'd blame them. Kierra was the same... way."

Upon saying this, Ava began to remember how Kierra teamed up with Tabitha despite her reluctance to go back. Tabitha has told her of how much she herself has suffered. She was vulnerable just like she was, but she still chose to help as best she could. That's what made Kierra all the more willing to help. This gave Ava an idea as she looked down to Rexy, still charred from his brief electrocution as he slurred unconsciously.

"Anyone got a... a number on that train?"

Ava made no hesitation to kneel down to Atticus as she spoke.

"I think I know how to convince them to help."

Believe it or not, Atticus was on the same page. He'd witnessed Rexy's courage as well.

"So do I. It's time they knew. Although, it wouldn't hurt to have some bit of height."

Later, Atticus, who now stood on a chair that was taken from the tower area gazed upon the group of fearful denizens before speaking to himself.

"Well, I suppose it is no throne, but it'll have to do."

With that, he began to clear his throat before he proceeded to speak.

"Ladies. Gentlemen. We are few. But we are a happy few. We are a band of brothers and sisters. For he today that sheds his skin, fur, or any manner of flesh with me shall be numbered among my brethren. And, uh, sisters, naturally."

This earned an eager reply from a feminine albino alligator, who had lipstick on her jaw.

"Thank you!"

"My point is, the other denizens that belong on this train shall think themselves accursed that they were not here this day. And as we get old, you will remember with great pride the feats that you shall perform today. Just as Rexy the Wrecker will. In the short time that I've known him, he has been a great example of a denizen who believes in freedom. And thus, he has has given his life to free you all from your shackles and cages, to give you that same freedom! Do you not think it justice to repay such a debt?!"

The group all began to murmur amongst themselves. Even just a simple gaze towards Rexy was enough to make them feel riled up. The fear the Scarecrows gave instilled in them was melting away, especially more so with the gorilla who had a tuba around his arms and back, and the other with the Hawaiian shirt before Atticus continued.

"We can't let them get away with this!"

"No, we shan't, Tuba, my friend. No, we shan't."

"And so I ask you not as a king, but as a fellow denizen of this train, to repay his sacrifice with yours as we drive out the malicious cult out of this car, and this train, for good!"

This earned a great cheer from the denizens as they all cheered with pride before Ava walked up to him, seeing the results of his handiwork.

"Wow. You really know how to stir them up, Atticus."

"Well, this isn't the first rebellion I've led, you know."

Atticus then turned his attention back to the group as he spoke proudly.

"Now, my fellow companions, as a first order of rebellion, we must prepare... for war."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lower chamber, Kierra and Dr. West were taking a look at the device that Chain used on Chain's desk. It was hard to understand the science behind it, given that the light itself was responsible for their brainwashing. To get a better grasp at it, Kierra took off the case of it with a screwdriver to remove the drills holding it in place. As a result, what she found brought great interest to her as she looked at the components.

"Alright. Let's see what we're looking at here."

While Kierra examined the device, Dr. West began to recognize some of the components himself as he looked at them along with her, pointing to the small orb from where the light was produced while Kierra looked at the speakers on the side, which turned out to be quite visible, even if built on the inside.

"The device must've been working in audio and visual effects for the swaying. See those small electronic chips? They must've been used to shine a certain light onto the eyes, even if by peripheral vision."

"Right. And those speakers are connected to them. That's probably how we hear the sound. It must've been low enough for only us to hear. All this time, I thought it was in our heads..."

"Maybe it was. But how did they manage to mimic the person you cared about most to get you to agree with them?"

Kierra began to take a closer look as he noticed a green blinking light on one of the chips. This made her curious as she looked closely at it. Then, she began to remember what Chain was showing her.

_Prior to showing her the device, Chain was showing a different machine to her: the gauntlet that had that same blinking light on it. Within the center was a small, bright blue orb connected to a black gauntlet that held it in place, as well as a small blinking green light near the orb as he spoke._

_"See that green light? This is how the gauntlet can tell us Scarecrows all about the passenger. Any passenger that gets their numbers scanned by machine will immediately have sent their story to us and the AIDAMS quickly. It's because of this green emitter that it's connected to the number scanning system. Everything is connected in this car, even the device I have here."_

Kierra figured it out then as she turned to Dr. West and answered him.

"I think I know. It's connected to the number scan thing. It's practically told them everything about what happened to them, and who was involved in their lives. It was all this thing needed to make those messages and images in our heads."

However, after having been told of how the device has managed to do just that, Dr. West began to tense his hands in anger, threatening to smash the device before Kierra moved it away just in time before his fists struck the table.

"Those diabolical fiends! First, they tampered with this car. And now, they're tampering with the number scanner to this degree?!"

Kierra was taken aback by how angry Dr. West was. And upon seeing such a surprised look from her, he began to calm down while he spoke to her in a nostalgic tone.

"Sorry, Kierra. It's just... before they ever came along, we used the number scanner to help the passengers."

"Help them how?"

"We didn't really encourage conflict back then. Scanning the number on their hands was to lower the chances of that. Even Penny's father had his scanned. He was reluctant, but Bailey helped him to trust everyone here, and he was numbered among the rest of us. We trusted each other... but after the shutdown? I don't know if we should do it anymore."

Kierra's face began to frown as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Of course you should. I mean, it's okay to be careful about what kind of people you bring in, sure, but none of this is on you or Tabitha. You were trying to give them a second chance. It's not your fault they didn't take it. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, they're gonna know what it feels like soon."

Dr. West couldn't help but smile at her, seeing such a change in her in the time he's known her. This smile made her curious as she looked to him.

"What?"

"To think you were just wanting to go back home almost an hour ago..."

Kierra recalled that memory. She'd realized how selfish she acted before Penny told her about how she's trying to get her family back. Maybe she sympathized with her about it. She certainly didn't want anyone else to be without their families. Kierra began to smile a bit herself as she spoke.

"You can thank Penny for that. She gave me that push."

"I know. It's almost hard to believe that she used to be a shy little girl before Bryce adopted her. Even when they first met, she was reluctant to go anywhere near him. But he was willing to wait for her to come over. He had other important business to attend to, but he still waited for her. It makes you think... maybe he had a hand in helping her change, too."

Kierra turned her attention back to the device in her hand, but her smile faded away as she thought about Summer. How much could she have changed from what she had done to her? It was almost scary for her to think about.

"Maybe..."

Having said those words, Dr. West got back on the topic of the device as he inquired of her.

"Speaking of change, did Chain tell you how to change their minds back to normal?"

"Well, all he told me was that there was a reset button on the undercarriage."

Kierra began to realize something as she looked back at the case of the device's undercarriage for the reset button, only to find that there was no button at all. Then, she looked back at the device's exposed interior to see the button just below the battery which connected the speakers. As she looked at the interior, Kierra began to realize what it meant to actually reset. Perhaps that device was fine the way it was after all. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be safe. She pushed the button, and as a result, it shot out a white light from the small orb before it began to flicker. This made Kierra and Dr. West curious as the latter looked to her.

"What's happening now?"

"I don't know. All I did was push the button."

Just then, they heard a voice behind them. And unfortunately, it wasn't one that they recognize.

"Hey! What are you doing down here?!"

It belonged to another scarecrow, a servant-class at the least. He wore a cloak like the rest, but he had no metal visor over his eyes.

"You're supposed to be at the lab with the— Wait. Why is a hitchhiker with you?!"

Kierra knew what could happen if he realized what was going on. It'd give them away completely, thus ruining any hope they have of saving Tabitha and this car. She wasn't willing to take that chance. Acting on instinct, she shone the device's light on the Scarecrow, if only to blind him and knock him out. But the instant she did, however, a different result occurred.

As the Scarecrow that got caught in its light stammered uncontrollably, a visual of a chain was going out of his head, almost like it was being sucked back into the device. Once the imaginary chain had left his brain and entered the device, the Scarecrow fell unconscious and began to snore. This event puzzled Dr. West as he looked to the device.

"What in the name of Eden did that thing just do?"

The Scarecrow only murmured to himself as he turned and slept.

"M-Mama...?"

Seeing this effect in front of her, Kierra began to figure out how it worked as Dr. West took it and screwed the case back in.

"Hold on. Maybe that reset button doesn't just reset the mind control; it resets their mind, too. No wonder the Scarecrows still kept their numbers, even with the accidents."

"Well, how do we help get their memories back?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we need to find Tabitha and save her before they do her in."

And as luck would have it, Dr. West had an idea where to go.

"And I think I know just the place."

"Let me guess: the dining room?"

Dr. West, however, suggested the alternative.

"Actually, I was going to suggest the dungeon. Though, it wouldn't hurt to look there, first."

"Then let's hoof it."

Kierra was about to take off, but then she realized that Dr. West had stated something out of her map. But as she saw, it wasn't in his possession when he handed it to Bryce, Tulip, and Penny.

"Wait. How did you know there was a dungeon?"

"I was memorizing the map while Penny and I waited in the tunnel."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you had something to do. Come on."

Dr. West and Kierra then proceeded to exit the chamber area as the latter brought the device with her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce, Tulip, Penny, One-One, the deer, and Bailey were traveling in the hall. While doing so, Glad-One was getting to know the deer he rode on top of. Though, Sad-One was bothered by the sense of faint familiarity.

"So, you must be the deer that's helped my friend Ms. Penny. It's nice to meet you. Though... I can't help but feel I've known you before, too."

"Oh, boy. Déjà Vu strikes again..."

Tulip was looking at the map as the group walked down that path, looking for the lab. As she saw it, it's almost like being in a maze, even with the map. And with Bailey leading them, even with her apparent knowledge of the land, she had a right to be confused.

"Uh, Bailey? I know you've been here longer than any of us, but are you sure you know where we're going? Because it looks like we're going backwards, like away from where you said you'd take us."

"Of course I'm sure. Before I was sent to my quarters, One-One and I came from..."

Before Bailey could finish, she began to feel a headache coming on again. It wasn't anywhere near dangerous as the last one she had in the lab, but it still hurt her just the same. Bailey held her hand close to her head as she leaned on the wall, using her other hand to support herself, making the group look to her. Tulip and Bryce expressed confusion whereas Penny exhibited worry. She had just gotten reunited with her mother. To see anything happening to her made her scared. The little girl ran quickly to her mother and checked with her.

"Mommy, are you okay?"

Bailey took a deep breath, trying to shake off the pain as she answered.

"I think so... but I don't know for how long..."

This made Bryce widen just eyes as he assumed the worst.

"What do you mean? Are you on some kinda time limit or something?"

Bailey didn't quite know how to answer. But with the pain going on in her head, she might as well be.

"Sort of. All I know is that since I tested out his machine that's linked to the cube, I managed to shake off Chain's mind control."

This gave Penny an idea. She'd heard from Kierra before about how they bring in passengers and employ a mind control tactic. Maybe that could be why they're headed for the lab.

"Oh, yeah! That's why we're going to the lab! To try to shake off the mind control from everyone else, right?"

"Actually, Penny, it's not that simple."

Penny's face began to show confusion as her theory got tossed out the window and her mother continued.

"And that's not the point, either. Before then, I saw EVE in the cube. She looked all sad and alone like I was... I don't know how, but it shook me out of it. But when the Castigator came into the lab a few moments ago, I found out I was wrong, the hard way."

Bryce was afraid to ask, knowing how much she meant to Penny, but he had to if he wanted to find out the rest of the story.

"How so?"

"When I remembered everything, I confronted Julian, and we had an argument."

This made Tulip remember the skirmish between him and Varicose that they witnessed in the hallway. He was so cruel to their captor. Nobody deserved to be treated like that, not even Varicose.

"Wait, Julian? We saw him crush Varicose's hand a moment ago when he called you a 'sniveling assistant'."

Bailey held her head down a few inches as she sighed.

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

That action scared Penny to death, so she found it hard to believe her mother could tolerate it.

"But why would he do that, mommy?"

"Because he cared about me the way I did for him. I was the only one who gave him meaning in this otherwise wretched life. At least, that's what he told me. And then, Tabitha tried to activate the failsafe, not that it worked. After that, she was captured and I was placed in charge over her. It's thanks to her that I knew you were with her somewhere, Penny."

Bailey began rubbing Penny's head gently as the little girl giggled before she began to show a sad face to Tulip and Bryce.

"Then the Castigator showed up. He asked me to turn her over to them. I tried to tell him 'no', but when I did... I just felt a strange pain. It hurt way worse than the one I have right now. If I keep it up, it might as well kill me."

Penny made a harsh gasp from hearing this. And she wasn't the only one. Tulip and Bryce were familiar with that in Chain's chamber when they tried to resist. For her case, it drove her to unconsciousness. For Bryce's it nearly killed him; it would have, too, if Kierra didn't step in when she did. As if that weren't enough, Bryce recalled Chain's words to him.

_"Did you really think you're the first to resist? I've already set up countermeasure for just such an occasion. You'll either break in the end, or you'll die. Choose wisely."_

Bryce put on a scowl as he replied to Bailey.

"That must've been the countermeasure Chain was talking about. Tulip and I fell unconscious just trying to resist. Maybe the cube didn't shake off the mind control completely like you thought it did."

Bailey nodded to him as a confirmation as she spoke.

"I had a feeling that was the case. That's why I thought I was better off dead. I couldn't do anything, even if I wanted to...!"

Bailey began to cry again, making Penny sad for her before she wiped those tears away and put on a look of determination again.

"But I'm done with it. I don't care if it kills me; I'm taking you to the lab, and I'm going to stop all of this."

Despite understanding Bailey's point of view, the last thing Bryce wanted was for Penny to be without a mother. He knew all too well what that was like.

"But why? What's so important in that lab that you'd kill yourself for it? Penny just got you back, and you're just gonna leave her again?"

This scared Penny to death as she held tightly onto her mother's hand.

"Mommy? Is it true? Are you really gonna die?"

Bailey wasn't sure how to tell it to Penny. In fact, even she may not be certain about the outcome. She felt it best to tell her what she did know.

"I don't know, Penny... but if there's anyone who can help put things back to normal, it's you."

This made the group all the more confused as Penny, Bryce, and Tulip spoke simultaneously.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When I tested Julian's machine, I saw a little girl in the cube of creation who was sad and alone like I was before you came back."

Hearing about this girl, Tulip and Bryce realized who she meant. Kierra told Tulip about her and then she told him. As previously said, it was a lot to unpack, but they got the story straight.

"Hold on. You mean EVE, right?"

"Isn't she the one who was in charge of this car?"

Bailey nodded to the two of them with a smile as she continued.

"That's right. And I think this car is the way it is because EVE was so scared, probably because of the way they treated her up until now. If you can cheer her up like you did for me, maybe it'll help her fix all of this."

While she didn't doubt her abilities to help EVE, she was more concerned with her mom's life. She didn't want her to throw it all away for her sake.

"But mommy... I don't want you to die..."

Bailey gently put her hand on her shoulder as she knelt down.

"I know. And I don't want to die, either. So I'll keep fighting to live. In fact, you're helping me do that right now. Just the sight of you looking at me, the thought of you counting on me... that's the whole reason I'm doing this, Penny. And I need you to help EVE the same way. Can I count on you for that, baby?"

Bailey gently put her hand on Penny's cheek as the girl began to sniffle before Bailey's thumb wiped away the tear on her eye before she nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Bailey then smiled to her before looking back to Tulip and Bryce.

"And you two? Thanks for making it possible for the two of us to see each other. You don't know how much that means to me."

Tulip walked over to her first before Bryce, smiling at her for how much she's willing to set everything right.

"You don't have to thank us. Penny means a lot to us, too. As her best friend..."

"And her older brother."

Penny couldn't help but smile at the two of them, though Bailey had to admit she was confused with what he said.

"Okay, maybe I'm still going through a rising migraine right now, but did I hear you say you were her brother? Though, now that I think of it... you do remind me of Aiden a lot."

This made him blush a bit before he replied.

"It's a long story. You better stick around for it, though."

"Don't worry. I will."

Just then, they heard footsteps before Tulip took notice of Pike walking in the tunnel. It made her nervous as she didn't want herself or the others to get caught as she whispered to Penny.

"Penny, now would be a good time to ask the deer...!"

However, before Penny could get the chance, the deer suddenly turned into a blanket before smushing them against the wall and camouflaging them. On his side of the tunnel, Pike was caught off guard for a moment as he thought he'd heard something. However, it was a fleeting moment before he resumed the walk.

"Must've been the rats."

Pike proceeded to walk into the crack of light, which can easily be assumed as the lab from their distance before the deer turned back to normal from its blanket form and uncloaked itself, though after it shrank down to the size of a gerbil. Bailey knee it was the place.

"That's it. There's the lab."

Tulip then took a look at the map again, and realized what Bailey was doing. She was taking a quicker way as the map of the underground itself provided a straight pathway view. But when going too far on one path, they end up on the end of another, putting them that much closer to the destination. And she'd know, because the map said that the servants' quarters were on the far end of one path while the lab was on another.

"Huh. What do you know?"

Although they managed to hide themselves this time, Bailey wanted to be sure that they hid themselves from any future arrivals as she looked to the deer.

"We'll have to hide ourselves again. Think you can do it again... whatever you just did?"

The deer only sat down and scratched itself with its antlers before Tulip and Bryce grunted.

"Of course not."

"Why is it that you can't listen?"

Then, Penny remembered the patch of grass in a box that she found in Bailey's room. The deer had quite an interest in it, though Penny couldn't understand how it found the grass from below to where Bailey was crying. Either way, she knew it'd help them out a lot. So, she took out a patch of grass from her pocket that she'd borrowed from Bailey's room, remembering how much it liked to eat grass before presenting it to the deer.

"Mr. Deer, can you hide us again? Please?"

The deer noticed the grass before it chowed down on the small green clump in her hand and complied as it turned itself into a large furry dome that circled around them before camouflaging itself to mask the background and the group. And just in the nick of time, too. Because Cain and Stockwell were the next Scarecrows to arrive at the lab.

"This better be good."

"Cain, you know as well as I do that if the Castigator says that the Renegade has been captured, then it must be true."

"I wouldn't get our hopes up. Might as well be a false alarm, for all I know."

"Are you trying to say that you doubt his word?"

"Hey, easy, Stockwell. I'm just trying to be cautious. Don't wanna celebrate too early."

As they saw the conversation between them, the deer moved up along the wall with the group moving alongside it. When they got inside the lab, it was quite packed. It's almost as though it was a party for them. With Tabitha's capture involved, it might as well be. Though, it appeared that not everyone was happy to be here as Pike complained to Julian.

"Julian, it smells terrible in here!"

"Then perhaps you should've taken a shower."

Pike only growled to himself as he looked around the lab.

"Even before we seized it, I never liked this infernal place."

However, Chain felt such an ill will wasn't called for in this occasion.

"Patience. I think you will be most impressed."

Carper would agree with him. She'd heard of the girl inside the cube. This gave her all the more reason to be confident in that fact.

"He's right. Especially when you see what's in that cube. Or better yet, who."

This made Bailey worried. She had to let it slip that EVE was inside that cube of creation. Maybe it must've been that mental safeguard that forced her to it. She was still recovering back then, so she must not have noticed. All the same, the fact that they knew about it wasn't good news for the group. It got even worse as the Castigator walked in.

When he walked in, every single Scarecrow inside took notice. It's only natural for his imposing presence and power to be recognized. This really sealed the deal for them. The fact that he's here meant that it was all true. The Castigator turned his attention to Julian as he spoke.

"This had better work."

"Of course, Castigator. You will see. I have solved _all _our problems."

The Castigator gave him a nod as he spoke.

"Then let us see you prove it. Begin, Julian."

"Yes, Castigator."

With that, Julian prepped the mechanical arms for their preparation to arc the brain waves onto the cube. Varicose felt it may as well be a repeat of countless other times. And frankly, after what had happened to his hand, he was counting on it as he turned to Pike.

"The Castigator will skin the Tinkerer alive if this fails."

"I have just the knife for such an occasion."

Despite this, Julian pressed on as normal.

"My friends, as you well know, our mighty Castigator tasked this humble Scarecrow with an impossible—"

Before he could finish, the Castigator had to cut it short.

"Get on with it."

Despite the interruption, Julian felt it would be rude to waste time.

"Of course. Allow me, if you will, to introduce our honored guest. Come out! Don't be shy!"

This made Bailey confused, as it did the others in the group (aside from the deer). Then, they began to hear tiny footsteps from the lab entrance. They could only see a silhouette of a small girl. But when she stepped forward, it showed her full appearance. She had long blonde hair with a leaf sticking over it, light brown skin, a grey sweater vest over her charcoal grey collared shirt, a sky blue necktie and matching shorts. Along with it, she also had a dull pink bracelet on her right arm and appeared to be barefoot. Bailey, Bryce, Tulip, and Penny became surprised at the sight of not shaken. And they weren't the only ones. Many of the Scarecrows aside from Julian and the Castigator were appalled.

This was meant to be a secret only for the Scarecrows. To reveal it all to a little girl, let alone a hitchhiker was unthinkable as Cain, Pike, and Stockwell shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's _she _doing here?! She's a hitchhiker, isn't she?!"

"Sacrilege!"

"Have you no sense of propriety?!"

The girl became frightened for a moment, but Julian stood up for her.

"Calm yourselves! She isn't a hitchhiker. She is a passenger, but her number just doesn't glow like the others. That's all."

To verify this, Julian walked up to the girl and held out his hand.

"If you'd be so kind as to give me a hand..."

The girl was hesitant at first, but she nodded while she replied.

"Okay."

The girl then put the back of her hand on top of his palm before he gently held it and showed it to the other Scarecrows, revealing her number of "337" that lacked a glowing green luster and making them widen their eyes in surprise as he spoke.

"And there's more. I verified this with my own hand as well. It wasn't drawn."

This caused quite a stir among the Scarecrows as Bailey herself became intrigued.

"No way..."

Although, Bryce was just as curious as he asked about the evidence. It was his first time seeing a passenger that doesn't have a glowing number himself. Things were getting stranger but the minute.

"Wait a second. Her number isn't glowing? How's that possible?"

"I don't know. While I was under Chain's spell, Julian and I just found her like this months ago. We somehow managed to convince them to spare her and give her her own quarters. But why? Why's Julian using her...?"

However, Sad One was more focused on her number.

"Really? A number that doesn't glow is on her hand, and _that's _what bothers you?"

With the origin of her number's condition brought to light, the Castigator himself became interested in the girl as he stepped closer to her, making the girl nervous as she quickly hid herself behind his leg. Though, in spite of his overpowering presence, he proceeded to speak smoothly to her.

"To think... a passenger with a number that doesn't glow. It is such an unprecedented event. Tell me, child. What is your name?"

Cautiously, the girl peeked her head out as she replied to him.

"It's Hazel."

The Castigator raised his eyes in interest as he spoke back to her.

"Hazel. Such a beautiful name. It is indeed a pleasure to have met you in this circumstance."

The Castigator then stood up and looked to Julian as he nodded.

"You may continue, Julian."

The Castigator then walked away as Julian turned to Hazel and held her hand gently as he walked down the steps with her.

"Be welcome, Hazel. I require your assistance."

While the group watched in a cloaked deer dome, Tulip was getting anxious for what could happen to her as he spoke to Bryce."

"We can't let them do this to her. We have to stop them."

"I think you're right. How do we do it, Bailey?"

When they turned over to Bailey, she had both hands on her head and was trembling. Penny took notice of it and became fearful of what was happening to her. The sweat she's producing was a dead giveaway.

"Mommy?"

"The pain...! I-It's getting worse!"

While Bailey struggled against the safeguard assaulting her mind, Julian showed Hazel the cube of creation in its dark purple glory as he spoke to her.

"Look. Do you know what this is?"

Somehow, Hazel found herself intrigued by the color as she spoke.

"It looks so pretty..."

"Yes. Isn't it lovely? It's what controls this very car. And there's also another being inside that we are trying to make contact with. I've been told it's a little girl, just like you."

This made Hazel widen her eyes in wonder. Could there really be a girl like her in there?

"Really? So we could be friends?"

"That will depend on you, Hazel. To link yourself with the cube, you'll have to use my machine."

As Julian gestured Hazel to his device consisting of a chair with a helmet connected to the machine that controlled the mechanical arms, Bryce could only growl as Tulip tended to Bailey with Penny.

"You can pull through this, Bailey. If a couple of kids could do it, you can, too."

Just then, Carper shouted out, catching all, the group of passengers and the Scarecrows, by surprise.

"Absolutely not!"

Julian turned over to Carper in confusion as well as Pike before she spoke her doubts.

"What's wrong, Carper? Not too long ago, you said we'd be impressed."

"That's before I remembered something. When Charleston tested it, it nearly tore her mind apart. How do you know it won't tear hers apart?"

This caused a great exchange of murmurs as Hazel began to get worried.

"Wait, what?"

Julian only countered this assumption as he spoke to Carper.

"Hazel has nothing to worry about, Carper. My assistant Charleston's already added the precautions to the machine once she recovered. This time, there'll be no mental whiplash to worry about."

Bryce turned over to Bailey, hearing of her involvement with the machine. He could only assume it was while she was under his control. And if he's right, then they'd control this car that much faster. Though, he couldn't understand why he'd have Hazel do it instead of the other Scarecrows. And apparently, Bailey didn't know either. Still, he couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong as he watched Hazel sit down in the chair while Julian placed the helmet on her head. The look on Hazel's nervous face didn't make it any better.

"Now, Hazel, I should warn you that when I turn on this machine, you'll feel a slight tingle."

"You promise?"

"Of course, my dear."

Julian then went over to the control panel and made the adjustments necessary as he began to count down.

"Mind wave synchronization will begin in 3..."

As he counted down, Bailey groaned louder from her agony as Tulip held her by her arms.

"It's okay, Bailey. Keep it together."

"2..."

Bryce found it harder to wait any longer as he drew out his cubed sword from his backpack, much to Tulip's concern.

"I'm going out there!"

"Bryce, wait!"

"1!"

Just before Julian could push the button however, the ground started to shake, jolting not only the Scarecrows and Hazel, but also Bryce, Tulip, Bailey, Penny, One-One, and the deer. Varicose was convinced that Julian had something to do with it as he spoke with a shout.

"What have you done?!"

After the ground stopped moving, Pike had a different theory.

"Calm yourself. Perhaps it was just another earthquake."

Just as he said this, the ground jolted itself again, disproving his theory. The Castigator didn't want to believe it, but he began to suspect something was afoot. He glared at Julian as he spoke with a suspicious tone.

"Julian, did you find anything out about the Renegade's compatriots?"

The Scarecrows all looked to him in suspicion before he began to stammer.

"I tried everything, Castigator! But her answer was always the same! She came alone!"

He only growled at Julian before he spoke.

"We'll see about that. Scarecrows, disperse and investigate the tremors!"

The Scarecrows all proceeded to exit the lab to identify the earthquakes. The Castigator was certain it wasn't just an earthquake. Contrary to Julian's belief, the Castigator had to be prepared for the worst, for any sign of the rest of her resistance. Being this close to a potential success, he did not wish to take any chances. And that's the same reason for his new order to Julian.

"Julian, you will guard this lab and the girl with your life! Do you understand?!"

His shout was more of desperation than anger. Julian had never seen such a look on him before. But it made his order all the more clear to him as he replied.

"Y-Yes, Castigator! I'll see to it that no harm shall come to the lab nor to Hazel!"

The Castigator then nodded to him before exiting the lab, leaving Julian and Hazel alone as Bryce, Tulip, Bailey, Penny, and One-One took notice. The timing couldn't have been better for it. Any longer, and poor Hazel would've gotten hurt. And Bryce was thankful for it.

"Well, that was close. And just in the nick time, too."

Glad One felt it was obvious while Sad One had a different theory.

"Of course. Didn't I tell you Atticus would lead a brave resistance?"

"Or maybe it's a giant monster that's attacking right now..."

This made Tulip puzzled as she knew One-One mentioned it before. For that to happen was just as much a surprise to her.

"Wait, how did you know Atticus would lead a resistance?"

"I don't know."

After One-One's casual answer, the lab shook itself again, causing Hazel to get worried as Julian stepped by her side.

"Don't worry, Hazel. I'm sure it'll pass. I hope..."

While the lab quaked, Bryce and the others braced it as they went to their feet before he spoke.

"Where's that earthquake coming from?"

* * *

Up above, it was no earthquake. The army of denizens rallied by Atticus and Ava (who held the unconscious Rexy) was launching their attack on the center of Nirvana City. They did so with the wooly mammoths smashing the entrance wide open and the air-breathing octopus prying open the elevator doors that led to the underground. After which, Atticus spoke with Tuba and the other gorilla as he walked to the edge of it, seeing a black abyss down below, possibly due to light being obscured from the elevator itself.

"Alright. We've got lucky so far. But we must exercise caution. There's no telling what or who we'll find in the depths of this fortress, be it friend or foe."

Tuba nodded in understanding as the gorilla in a Hawaiian shirt spoke while putting his gist in his open palm.

"You'll find, good sir, that despite my attire, I didn't come here for a vacation."

"Then you understand, Dennis. And please, when you find Tabitha, or her allies, ensure that you give them your full cooperation. They are on your side, as well."

Tuba and the other gorilla nodded to him before Atticus turned to the rest of the denizens, including the air-breathing octopus, the albino alligators, ostriches, giraffes, hippos, ponies, monkeys, blue jay birds, and hairless wildcats before he spoke to them.

"And that goes for the rest of you as well, but your assignments will vary. The aviaries will go up top through the elevator and force out any Scarecrow there. The mammals who can fit and climb down will descend to the bottom floor and engage the same tactic. Tuba and Dennis will engage first. And the rest will stay on this floor and guard the exfil for the others in case we happen to see any Scarecrow here. Their wicked rule ends today!"

As Atticus raised his paw, the other denizens raised their appendages. Then, Tuba went into the elevator first and bashed his fist through the wall to get a good grip before he fell again and repeated that same pattern. When Dennis approached the opening next, he turned back to Atticus before seeing Ava holding Rexy beside him as he raised his fist to the air proudly.

"For Rexy the Wrecker."

Dennis then jumped down the elevator shaft before Rexy snorted and spoke to himself in his sleep.

"Did somebody call my name...?"

Ava couldn't help but smile at him as she brushed his head while turning to Atticus.

"You know... I wasn't always the one to take care of him. When I was just a baby, he always took care of me."

Atticus turned towards Ava with a smile as he replied to her.

"Well, perhaps you can finally repay that debt by doing the same thing for him as you've always done."

Ava looked back to the unconscious Rexy as she agreed with him.

"You know... maybe I will."

* * *

Meanwhile, Dr. West and Kierra were looking around in the dark hallway. It wasn't anything like the one Tulip, Bryce, Penny, and the deer went to. It was pure earth, like it was farther underground than even the chamber where Chain did his work. As such, the walls around them were so rocky, they'd have thought they were in a mine if they didn't know any better, which of course they have. Still, it was no easy task to look for Tabitha, especially not with the threat of encountering a potential Scarecrow. Kierra and Dr. West were well aware of it, though they were surprised they haven't bumped into one yet.

"Wow. I can't believe we've been here this long without anyone else finding us yet."

"Most of them are in the lab. The only thing that could make them go out at this point is..."

Before Dr. West could finish, he was suddenly interrupted by a jolt from the denizens' attack, shaking Kierra and Dr. West from the quake before it stopped and thus proved his point.

"...that."

"But why would they go out of the lab from an earthquake? It happened a lot while I was here, and they never had to leave before."

Just then, another quake came again, but this time, with a wooly mammoth trumpeting above as Kierra and Dr. West wobbled again before leaning against the wall. When it stopped, she began to take his point.

"Though, I think I can see how they would leave now."

With that, Kierra and Dr. West continued down on the path in their search for Tabitha. And as luck would have it, Dr. West knew how close they were as he stopped at a corner with Kierra behind him before peeking out to be sure that no Scarecrow caught sight of them yet.

"If I memorized the map right, it said the dungeon was right over... there."

Dr. West and Kierra found the dungeon alright. It functioned the way a typical prison would with black iron bars left and right acting as jail cells as they were embedded on the rocky ceiling and floor. It's the only thing the Scarecrows haven't thought of upgrading. They must've thought its squalor conditions were enough to make those locked away in here regret their defiance, not that it worked on Kierra. Speaking of, she made a shudder as she spoke.

"I never thought I'd actually go back in here by choice. Usually, they'd drag me in here when I didn't agree with their rules. Of course, that's before they tried to recondition me..."

Dr. West turned to Kierra as he sighed before he spoke.

"I know it's been said before, Kierra, but—"

Before he could finish, Kierra cut him off as she looked to him.

"I know. But it's fine. If it means saving someone here from ending up like I did, especially Tabitha, then I'm over it."

In that moment, Kierra took notice of a lone guard watching over a certain someone they tried to find from the corner as he leaned against the black-iron bars. And he didn't seem too happy about it, not that she personally cared about how they feel after how they treated her. Though, at the same time, it wasn't their own fault for being controlled. But that didn't make it any easier for Kierra as she turned to Dr. West.

"She's there, alright. But she's being guarded."

"But why? Didn't he hear the commotion earlier?"

"He must've been told to guard her, no matter what happens. Those guys follow everything to the last letter. Good thing I got something to fix that."

Kierra held tightly onto the device as the guard inquired to Tabitha out of curiosity rather than spite.

"Why are you so foolish, Tabitha? Why do you attack the Castigator when you know the people love him?"

"The only reason they loved him... is because they're being controlled to do it. If they could really think for themselves, they'd know better than to follow him. And you would, too."

The guard only dismissed her answer with a slight shake of his head and a small laugh, as if convinced that she doesn't know any better as he spoke.

"Maybe some time alone will change your mind."

Little did he know that Kierra was ready to strike as she held Chain's device at the ready.

"Speaking of changing minds..."

"Huh?"

Before the guard could react, Kierra pushed the rear button and pointed it at him. As a result, the device shone its light on him and pulled out his mental chain link by link until it was all gone, much to Tabitha's surprise. After which, the guard fainted and fell to the floor before Kierra snatched the keys from him and unlocked the door before opening the gate as Kierra held her hand out to her.

"I hope that wasn't your idea of a distraction."

Tabitha gave her a smile as she took her hand and stood up before Dr. West came over to her and hugged her, afraid to

"I'm so glad you're alright, Maria."

Tabitha was caught unawares by this hug. Though, to be fair, it must've worried him when news got around of how she was captured. He always did like her. As rational as he is, he can't help but not worry for her, even if he stuck to his task. Perhaps he figured it was the best way to help her. And he was right; it's thanks to that that he was able to help free Tabitha from her capture and help the passengers. Tabitha smiled back to him as she returned the hug and spoke.

"I'm glad you're okay, too, Mark."

When they'd finished their hugs, Kierra was confused about his first name.

"Wait. Your first name was Mark?"

"Yes, Kierra. That's my name. Don't wear it out."

Kierra took it as an attempt from his part to appear cool. She had to admit it won him some points as she smiled to him.

"It's okay. You won't get any judgment from me."

Then, she got back to business on the distraction. She didn't quite know what the distraction was since they last talked about it. But given the shaking and the earlier sound of a wooly mammoth, she had a feeling. Though, she had to confirm it as they exited the dungeon and went back to the hallway.

"So, how are Ava and Rexy doing?"

"I sent them to the zoo with the invisibility cloak to create a distraction."

"Oh. That would explain the wooly mammoth."

Tabitha then put on a look of determination with an odd blend of desperation as she spoke.

"And we better make good use of it. We have to go back to that lab and stop the Scarecrows, now."

Kierra nodded to her in agreement. She'd had just about enough of them as much as Tabitha did. Plan or no plan, their rule has to end. She might be the only one who'd understand that. Though, of course, it's not to discount logic for how to accomplish it. And Dr. West made sure it didn't go to waste.

"But how are we supposed to get there when a horde of them is going to find us any minute?"

Coincidentally, the group began to hear footsteps. Though, if heard more closely, they sounded like thumps. Kierra suspected where they could've come from as she scowled while holding the device at the ready.

"Let them find us. It'll be the last thing they ever do."

As Tabitha and Dr. West stood by her side, they expected the company of the Scarecrows to visit them. However, as the thumps got closer, so did the figure responsible. And it turned out to be none other than Tuba. And he looked about ready to smash something (or most likely someone) as well. But when both sides saw each other, they became flummoxed, more so for Tuba. Though he's been asked to help Tabitha and her allies, he didn't get the chance to ask who they were.

As for Kierra, she lowered the device. She knew for a certainty that a denizen would never be a Scarecrow. For all she knew, he must've tried to get ready to smash any Scarecrow he saw, and the fact that she's dressed like one didn't help. Still, it was good that he exercised some restraint. In the awkward silence, Kierra had to speak up first.

"Uh... hi?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the lab, Julian was finding himself uneasy. He paced back and forth, trying to figure out what went wrong and how. Through his intense torture on Tabitha (which was mostly for his revenge), the only answer he'd gotten out of her was that she came alone. Though he had to admit her tenacity was impressive, it got him on the Castigator's bad side quick. So much for the recognition he deserved. It was an idea he wasn't happy with, identified by a growl.

"This is a disaster... I can't let him down, not again! Not after I've come so far to be acknowledged as a genius...!"

Seeing that side of him, Tulip and Bryce glared at him from in the cloaked deer dome.

"Pfft. As if he even deserved it."

"We've got to get him out of there and help Hazel."

This made Penny raise her eyes in curiosity. If the goal was to connect with EVE and to help her get control of the train back, then she failed to see why Hazel couldn't help with that.

"Wait. Why can't we let Hazel talk to EVE? Wouldn't she help us out?"

Bailey looked over to Penny as she sat down, still struggling against the pain, but has begun to get used to the degree of pain she's experiencing.

"In other circumstances, maybe. But she's been with the Scarecrows for months. If Carper's right, it'll tear her mind apart; she's not ready for this."

This made Bryce concerned about what may happen to Penny as she looked over to Bailey, holding that worry over his face.

"And how do you know Penny is? How do you know it won't kill her, too?"

Bailey looked over to Bryce with a determined glare. It was the second time she'd shown that glare, and yet, that held more significance as she bolstered it with her holding onto his jacket and pushing him against the dome while she replied with tears in her eyes.

"Because in the short time since I've met her in years, I already know that my daughter is the strongest person I've _ever_ known in my life. She proved it by coming this far. And by helping me stand up for myself. If you honestly think that I'd ever let my daughter die after all she's done for me, then you better think again, because I'd rather die myself before I let that happen! Do you understand?!"

Little did she know that when she stated her case, Bailey made Bryce remember the times he stood up for Penny time and again. There were even a few scenarios where he'd said the same thing. And though it hurt Penny for him to say that, he stuck by her side and helped her through it. Even in darkness, he'd protect her with his life. Of course he'd understand.

"More than you know..."

Bailey then set Bryce back down on the ground as she wiped her tears away before she spoke again.

"Good. Now we just need to get Julian away from here long enough to save Hazel."

Then, Tulip took notice of the lack of pain from Bailey. A minute ago, she didn't seem like she could take much more. Either something seems off, or Penny was helping her get the strength she needed to withstand it. She hoped it was the latter.

"But what about your pain? Are you...?"

"I'm still hurting... but I'm getting used to it. Not getting any better, but thankfully not worse."

However, Penny had bad news. Through the dome's transparency, she could see Julian getting closer to the dome. And he appeared to show that he's aware of them as he spoke.

"Who's in here?! Show yourself!"

"Uh, somebody's coming..."

Even worse, he further proved that the dome wasn't soundproofed as he shouted again.

"I know I heard you! You might as well come out and save yourself the trouble!"

Scared of what could happen, Penny held onto her mother's leg tightly. Seeing such a scared look on her face, Bailey realized she couldn't let Julian go anywhere near her. But upon doing so, her headache got worse than the last time, as if her brain itself was being crushed. Seeing her in this state, Tulip tried to help her out through it.

"Calm down, it's okay. You're stronger than the pain, Bailey. You showed us that before. Don't you dare stop now..."

And in that moment, Bryce had a plan. It may not help them hide themselves much longer, but it can surely help Penny get to the machine and save Hazel.

"Okay, I got it. Penny, make sure the deer has a good kick on my signal, okay?"

Penny nodded to him as she got out the patch of grass from her pocket and held them out from her hand before the deer's invisible face chowed on it as she spoke softly.

"Can you kick the bad guy when Bryce says so, Mr. deer?"

When Julian got close enough to the dome, he assumed that the intruder wasn't as close to him. Though, he couldn't know for sure, he had to find them and soon.

"For the last time, Reveal yourself at once!"

The closer he got, the more frightened Penny became as Bryce counted down.

"3... 2... 1... now!"

Just then, at Bryce's command, the invisible dome suddenly sprouted two hooves that kicked Julian in the behind and launched him to the other side of the lab before he ended up crashing onto the floor below. When that was done, the deer changed back from its dome shape into its normal form before the group all rushed over to Hazel and the machine, much to the girls' confusion.

"Huh? Who are you guys? And why's Bailey with you?"

Bailey replied to her as she took the helmet off of her and knelt down.

"I'm so sorry, Hazel. I didn't mean for any of it to happen like this."

"Sorry for what? And what's going on?"

"I'll explain later, Hazel. But all you need to know is that Penny has to talk to someone in the cube and fix everything right now."

"But I don't—"

Before Hazel could finish, Bailey put her arms on Hazel's shoulders.

"Please, Hazel. Please trust me."

Hazel wasn't sure what was going on anymore. She could see how worried Bailey was; she'd never seen her like this before. Something must be truly wrong for her to look that way. Carper wasn't exactly willing to agree to let her test it to begin with. Just thinking about it was enough to make Hazel worried about what could happen, let alone what's happening this very moment. But Bailey's never steered her wrong in this car before, so she nodded to her before getting out of the chair.

Unfortunately, when she did, Julian had recovered from the sudden kick of the deer and got back to the upper floor of the lab to see Bailey, Tulip, Bryce, Penny, Hazel, and the deer by the machine. Seeing her with them, Julian assumed the worst from Bailey, which could very well be the truth.

"What is this?! Mutiny!"

Hazel became frightened of the escalating situation as she stood by Penny and Bailey for protection while Bryce and Tulip stood guard with the former using his cubed sword and the latter using the alleged "donut-holer" to protect them.

"You're not going anywhere near them!"

"They're not gonna follow your rules anymore!"

Julian only snarled with venom before he shouted.

"How _dare _you threaten me?! I am Julian the Tinkerer! I am a master of life and death! I am a genius! I am a lord of this train! I! AM! SCARECROW!"

In his fury, Julian lunged at Tulip and Bryce as they repelled him from Bailey, Penny, and Hazel with their weapons acting as a shield. During which, Bailey set Penny in the chair and put the device on her head as she turned to Hazel and pointed her to the direction of the control panel.

"Hazel, I need you to go to that control panel and push the button when I say. Can you do that?"

Hazel nodded to her before running over to the panel. While she did so, Bailey looked back to Penny with a look that hoped everything would work out okay.

"Penny? You remember what I told you a moment ago, right?"

"Uh-huh. But what about you?"

"I'll stay out here and keep you safe until—"

Before she could finish, Bailey's pain struck her again, making her grunt in pain much to Penny's worry as she spoke fearfully.

"But if I go, you'll die...!"

In spite of the pain she felt, Bailey looked back up to her daughter with a sad smile and a tear on her face as she replied back.

"Then at least I'll pay for my mistakes..."

"Mommy..."

"It'll be okay. Just go talk to EVE, and save her..."

Bailey began to grunt again as the pain became too much for her before she clutched onto her head. Hazel grew worried for Bailey as she watched before turning back to Tulip and Bryce as they held Julian at bay. However, he took notice of the girl at the machine before he used his left hand to put it over Tulip's face before he began to crush her skull, making her scream in agony, much to Bryce's own anger before he retaliated with a fist punching him in the face, ceasing his grip and knocking him to the floor as Tulip fell to her knees while Bryce checked on her.

"Are you alright, Tulip?"

"Considering I was getting my skull crushed like a soda can... I think I'm good."

Bryce gave her a soft smile before glaring back at Julian as he got back up on the ground with a snarl, looking towards Hazel before Bailey turned over to her, bracing the pain enveloping her as she shouted.

"Push the button now, Hazel! Push it!"

Julian began to run towards Hazel, causing Bryce to jump in the way and block him with his sword while Julian presses hard against it with his left hand, fueled by the same red liquid from earlier as it flowed through the wires and he began to push Bryce back.

"What the—?!"

Hazel, in her moment of fear, pushed the button as directed by Bailey before the helmet activated with a powerful surge that struck Penny, making her groan at the surprise attack of the pain in her head as Bailey held onto her hands to support her. At the same time, the mechanical arms began to arc lightning on the cube, dimming the light of it as Penny looked towards the cube, beginning to moan softly as Bailey's words echoed.

* * *

_"You can do it, Penny. I know you can..."_

_The next time she opened her eyes, Penny noticed herself in a different landscape. It was a dark purple background, much like the cube itself was, but as opposed to Bailey's experience, Penny noticed what appeared to be a core in front of her. The cube's core is a lined cube that continuously spun, creating an effect that went into itself and out. It was a slightly dark purple void whlie the lines that make up the core is white, and with them, tons of computer code lining up the cube and void in the colors of purple and white._

_"Whoa... that's a lot of numbers."_

_Just then, Penny heard a feminine sobbing from within._

_"Huh?"_

_Inside the core itself was a purple void with a being with who she could assume was EVE curled up in a corner. But she looked vastly different from how Tabitha described her. Her golden body that comprised of a dress, made from countless digits all over was now faded to black, and her blue hair wasn't blue anymore. It had faded to a grey color, as if it had lost all of its beauty. Even worse, her body was glitching like a broken record. Penny gasped as despite her appearance, she knew who it was._

_"EVE?"_

_Penny jumped into the core and appeared in the same area where EVE was. It was filled with countless error messages in a red color. But some of the walls of the area were on small rectangles holding light blue and purple glowing orbs on it. Penny recognized these particular items from her venture in Corginia. This made her excited as she took a look._

_"Wow. That's how this car runs everything. It's just like back at Corginia."_

_Upon closer inspection, Penny realized it was an options menu for the systems of the cube. It ranged from weather sections, plant growth progess, times table for day cycles, and even system resets. She knew because they were labeled as such. And as far as she could see, most of them were blighted with purple. She saw the landscape from outside earlier. That's why it didn't just vanish: it was tampered with, and by Osore, no less._

_"I don't understand. What did he do...?"_

_As if to answer, Penny noticed that the area she stood in held screens in spinning corners that showed the original shutdown happining, what's happening outside currently with the denizens leading a revolt, the event of her being unconscious as it showed Bailey being unconscious as well while she held her daughter's hands Tulip and Bryce as they protected them and Hazel from Julian's wrath, and nightmare images of Osore that once taunted her among a ton of other things, including one camera that was offline and is just static, puzzling her. Though, with what she'd seen so far, she could already guess that Osore did so much worse than what she was told he did._

_This made her tense her fist in anger for the first time in a long while since Bryce told her the truth. But as angry as she was, she's not here to throw a fit over it. She's here to help EVE. And she needed to help her this instant. Turning over to the sad program, Penny walked over to her, holding a sympathetic look on her face as EVE spoke to herself._

_"This is all my fault! Please forgive me...!"_

_Penny sat down by her as she wept before gently placing her hand on where her shoulder would be, keeping in mind the model of EVE resembled a girl._

_"EVE?"_

_Upon hearing her soft voice, EVE gasped and looked to where it cane from and saw Penny as she smiled to her._

_"It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I wanna help you."_

_EVE only turned away from her before she sniffled and replied bitterly._

_"You shouldn't. I caused it all..."_

_"But it wasn't your fault. Ms. Tabby told me about Osore. He made you do all those terrible things. It's not like you did it on purpose."_

_"But I did!"_

_This caught Penny by surprise as she gasped lightly from hearing this. From what she was told, Osore made her do all those things. How could she have done it on purpose?_

_"What do you mean?"_

_EVE held her head down as she answered her question. While she did, the cube itself began to show the footage of EVE's area where she sat happily in her area. The color was much different than what Penny was seeing. Instead of a purple void, it was light blue, and the cube line outside the core was gold colored. The codes themselves were gold and light blue instead of purple and white. Even the inner core itself was gloden colored and shining brightly. And the crossing screens in the room was showing just about everywhere on the car, from the city to the lush forest area, with a screen that showed the engine of the train, much to Penny's surprise as she gasped. And the option menu was shining blue with the same labels of the systems but had additional images of flow charts, graphs, and several other things, including all the glowing orbs that make up the environment in this train. And EVE was just happily managing everything in her area before showing Osore stepping inside from the inner core._

_"I was so scared. It was six years ago. When that day happened, I was just doing business as usual. Then, _he _came."_

_Penny gasped from seeing such a familiar figure on playback._

_"Osore...!"_

_All Penny could do is watch as Osore dug one of his claws into the background, turning the golden background dark purple. And that blight spread across everywhere, even to the glowing orbs as most of them turned a dark shade of purple. As many other side effects took place, EVE turned around to see Osore himself and was utterly shocked to see him._

_"W-What are you doing here?!"_

_"Isn't it obvious? I've come to save you."_

_"Save me? From what?"_

_"Why don't you take a look?"_

_As Osore pointed to the cameras that circled around them, EVE looked back at the cameras and noticed that in place of the Passengers, there were various monsters. Many of them had distorted bodies with one's body being shorter than their torso and much more in the inverse with their eyes bulging out, sharp fangs, and yellow skin. They were basically creatures made from... a nightmare. Penny began to get a frightened look on her face as she watched on and heard the fear in past EVE's voice._

_"Ahh! W-Where did they all come from?!"_

_"That doesn't matter. I know a way to get rid of them."_

_"How?!"_

_"You control everything in this car, don't you? Why not do some... damage control?"_

_Just as Osore said this, a panel opened up, revealing a button to produce acid rain as it is labeled. EVE hesitated to push the button as she took a second look at the monsters. Looking at them, they appeared to be just as afraid as she was. Upon taking that second look, EVE was beginning to reconsider._

_"But... they don't look that bad, do they?"_

_However, Osore suggested otherwise as he walked towards her and spoke with his silver forked tongue tricking her to buy his every word._

_"Believe me, looks can be deceiving."_

_EVE took another look at the "monsters" and began to see his point. What if they were worse than they really are? It was a possibility she didn't want to risk. With that, EVE closed her eyes and pushed the fatal button. A moment later, instead of hearing the distorted screams of monsters, she began to hear the screams of the people staying in the car. EVE was afraid to open her eyes, but eventually, she did. And it was then that she wished she never had._

_EVE witnessed what she caused from pushing that button. She ended up destroying the buildings and the people as many of them melted into puddles. The sight utterly mortified her as her eyes widened._

_"No... what have— what have I done?"_

_This made her begin to break down into tears with a light sob as Osore smirked while he spoke._

_"I told you. Looks can be deceiving."_

_In her first surge of anger, spawned from having been tricked into destroying the people she loved so much, EVE turned behind her to attack Osore, but he expected such an attack. He countered with a slash over her chest with his claw before her golden skin turned white while her clothes turned black and her blues hair turned grey as she fell to the floor. EVE was beginning to feel utterly helpless as the fear she's only begun to feel took over. She couldn't do anything against it because she didn't know how. It was the first time in her existence that she's felt such misery. And it all came from what they must think of her now._

_EVE was supposed to protect and take care of the people in the train, but she destroyed them instead. As she struggled to get up, she could hear voices in her head berating her. Scolding her. Blaming her..._

_'How could you do this to us?!'_

_"No... I-it was an accident!"_

_'Really? So you "accidentally" killed us all?'_

_"I thought I knew what I was doing...!"_

_'Well, that shows! You killed us all!'_

_"Please don't hate me...!"_

_EVE then broke down into a loud sob as Osore gave her a smirk before walking out of the cube. After having seen the whole footage, Penny felt just as heartbroken as ever._

_"So that's what Osore did. He made you so scared... that you'd do anything."_

_EVE only sniffled as she turned to Penny again._

_"I just... i was just trying to protect them. But I... I killed them all..."_

_EVE then began to sob on her arms as she balled herself up before she spoke amidst her sadness._

_"I messed up so bad...! I don't see how they could all love me after what I did... I don't even know why I'm still here..."_

_EVE continued her sobbing as Penny recognized that feeling. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it herself. It was all too familiar for her. No wonder her mother wanted her to talk to EVE. It's just like how her mom felt before she talked to her for the first time. She even felt the same way before Tulip comforted her. And with how sad her older brother was when she found out the truth the way she did, she could only assume Bryce felt that way, too. She couldn't picture anyone else but Tulip to talk to him in a way that would snap him out of it, though... then it hit her._

_It's because of Tulip and Bryce that she's learned to be so understanding and supportive. And it's also because of them that she was doing what any other child wouldn't do. She went back to that forsaken place and acted in rebellion against the Scarecrows. And she even found her mother after six years without her. She's had her share of tragic experiences, but none of them ever stopped her. She saw no reason why they should stop EVE from making things right. She gently placed her hand on EVE again as she spoke softly._

_"I know how you feel. After what he made me see, I thought it was all my fault, too."_

_EVE looked to her in confusion through her teary eyes as Penny explained herself._

_"Osore captured me when I ran away. After that, he made me see my home get destroyed. And he said that I couldn't protect anyone I loved... but then, Bryce came and saved me. He was so scared, I thought I saw him crying when he hugged me."_

_Penny then thought back to another memory as she recalled when he told the truth to her and she felt betrayed._

_"I guess it makes sense. I did run away from him before I got caught. My older brother and my mom would know what you went through, because they were scared, too. Mommy was just like you almost an hour ago. But she's helping me now. Because I helped her realize something. Maybe we can't change the past, but... that doesn't mean we can't learn. We'll have people to help us fix our mistakes, too. But the only who can make the effort..."_

_Penny paused for a moment before she hugged EVE, making her gasp softly as she'd never known this sensation before. But she could tell from the smile on Penny's face that it was meant to be a pleasant feeling._

_"...is you."_

_Though hesitant at first, EVE returned the hug to her before embracing it as she spoke softly._

_"But... how can they forgive me?"_

_Penny looked up to her with a smile as she answered._

_"They already have."_

_This earned a soft gasp from EVE before her black and grey appearance changed back to normal as her golden and blue colors returned, much to Penny's amazement as they glowed brightly before EVE looked at herself in awe and joy._

_"I... I'm back to normal!"_

_Then, to be sure it was the case, EVE looked under her "dress" where Osore scratched her and saw that the scar was gone. She looked back to Penny with a smile as she spoke with utmost gratitude._

_"Thank you so much, Penny!"_

_Penny gave her a smile with a nod before her eyes wandered to the camera. It showed Julian holding Tulip and Bryce by their collars as Hazel stood by the unconscious Bailey and Penny, much to her horror._

_"Oh, no!"_

* * *

Back at the lab, Julian was proving his formidable strength as Bryce tried all he could to get him to drop them, swinging it at his chest but to no effect as he glared at the boy.

"Marvelous cretin!"

Julian then tossed Bryce to a wall, causing him to break it from impact as he groaned before falling to the floor, much to Tulip's fear.

"Bryce!"

Then, it was her turn to be tossed aside, but this time on the opposite way, crashing her on the floor as she grunted before her body slid across the floor a few feet. With no one left to guard them, Julian snickered before glaring at Hazel and the unconscious mother and daughter.

* * *

_In the cube, Penny saw that Bailey was unconscious. It made her scared of what could happen, and as she said before, she didn't want her to die, not after they just found each other._

_"My mom! She's in danger! I have to go!"_

_Penny tried to run, but EVE grabbed her hand as she spoke._

_"Wait, Penny!"_

_"Huh? But why?"_

_"There's another way to get to your mom. But you'll have to focus."_

_This piqued Penny's curiosity as she looked at the screen where it showed her and Bailey._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Your mom made contact with me, too. Back when I was still a sad sack. I should be able to get in touch with Bailey and help you wake her up."_

_"Do you really think it can work?"_

_EVE's face frowned a bit. It had been a long time since being back to her old self after what the Osore did to her. Though, that frown didn't last long as she put on a determined look._

_"I don't know... but you said it yourself. I have to make the effort. Just hold on to my hand and close your eyes. I'll do the rest."_

_"Okay."_

_As instructed, Penny held her hand and closed her eyes. With that, EVE looked into the screen before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. After some time, EVE spoke to Penny._

_"And... open!"_

* * *

_When they next opened their eyes, they found themselves in a darker place than the cube of creation is currently. It's almost as if they were in a black hole. Penny was in complete surprise from such an environment._

_"What is this place?"_

_Suddenly, a black smoking chain lifted itself up in between Penny and EVE before they looked to where it came from. Unfortunately, it came from Bailey. She was wrapped up very tightly in those chains and held up. They were suffocating her, making it so that she can't even breathe. And even worse, she appeared just as unconscious as she was in the lab._

_"Mom!"_

_As Penny's voice echoed, Bailey began to moan, stirring from her sleep before halfway opening her eyes as she spoke weakly._

_"Penny...? Is that you?"_

_Penny went over to her mother in desperation as she tried to pull the chain off of her._

_"Mommy! You have to wake up! Hazel and I are gonna get hurt if you don't!"_

_EVE pitched in to try and help remove the chain with Penny, but neither one could break it apart. All he while, Bailey was bearing a saddened look._

_"What's the point? If I try to help you, I'm as good as dead anyway..."_

_While they pulled on the chain, Penny snapped at her again, remembering how she smiled at her before she got in the cube._

_"Don't you dare say that! I don't want you to die!"_

_Bailey suddenly took notice of the chain shaking as she looked up from the length to see Penny and EVE pulling on the chain, making her widen her eyes. She hadn't seen EVE like that in six years, and now she's been restored thanks to Penny, who continued to speak with vigor as she tugged with all her might._

_"You told me that you'd keep fighting to live! Don't you dare stop now!"_

_As Bailey became surprised to hear her mention it, the chain began to break apart with a crack._

_"I'm looking at you!"_

_Another crack came on the chain._

_"And I'm counting on you!"_

_CRACK! The chain broke apart, but the link was still maintained. Penny began to shed her tears again as she shouted._

_"You told me that's the whole reason you're doing this! SO STAND UP AND FIGHT!"_

_Finally, the chain split apart and broke into a burst of light, making Bailey gasp before she began to remember the beautiful memories she's had. Many of her memories included meeting Aiden for the first time, the two of them getting married as they stood on a porch while wearing a tuxedo and dress, their first time making out as their chests were covered by the blanket, and the birth of her baby daughter. Then, she remembered the nasty memories that showed everything the Scarecrows has done up until now. She remembered how they "liberated" the passengers like she was, how they put all the denizens in cages, and how they captured Tabitha and took her away._

_With that, Bailey began to breathe again as she took a deep breath. After a moment, Bailey began to move her arms, pulling on the chains that held them. Naturally, they'd be tight, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was to hug her daughter again. She wasn't going to let those chains stop her. She began to shed tears as she angrily pushed her arms against the chains, threatening to break them apart._

_The process is difficult, but Bailey persisted despite her now panting breath indicating the difficulty. The chains were getting weaker and weaker from her effort. And as the chains were about to give way, Bailey screamed at the top of her lungs, swinging her arm out and breaking the chains that bound her as they burst into light simultaneously. And with those bursts of light, the black background revealed itself to be a beautiful setting, the sky as sunny and bright as ever. And the view below was far more pleasant. It was a field of flowers. Bailey landed on said field and took a deep breath as she looked up to the sun with a smile. After that, Penny quickly opened her eyes and found themselves back at the cube before noticing Julian still walking near her, Bailey, and Hazel as he snarled before she turned to EVE._

_"Do you think it worked?"_

_"I hope so..."_

* * *

Back at the lab, Julian was growling with frustration as he spoke slowly.

"Know... your... place. You will pay for this betrayal."

Unbeknownst to Hazel, Bailey had just woken up with a growl as she tensed her hand. Julian suspected that she was awake the whole time and possibly mourning her daughter. So, he leaned closer to her as he spoke.

"And you, Bailey... what do you have to say for yourself?"

Bailey only gritted her teeth as she spoke softly.

"No more..."

Julian became confused as he didn't quite catch what she'd just said.

"Eh? Speak up. I can't hear you."

Suddenly, Bailey threw a hard punch at his face as she shouted.

"NO MORE!"

Julian was quickly knocked to the floor much to the shock of Bryce and Tulip, who were just recovering from his attack. Hazel was completely stupefied to see Bailey so angry. But it wasn't just her anger that showed as she painted her breathing. Her sadness was also present, made manifest by her tears. And it wasn't long until the rest of the Scarecrows took notice of the aftermath.

They'd just retreated back after being ambushed by the denizens. For a while, they seemed on equal footing, but once they were boxed in, they had to fall back to the lab to protect the machine. What they found there instead was an infuriated "sniveling assistant" that had just rebelled against her master. Even Chain was struck by surprise.

"How is this possible?! The precautions should've stayed intact!"

Bailey didn't focus on them. She focused solely on Julian. And she had every intention to let him have it.

"Julian! I've been your only friend since we met, and I still am! But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand for what you're doing! Not anymore!You've been cruel to everyone around you! The denizens, the passengers, the Scarecrows, even me! As much as I want to give you a second chance, and I really do, I've had enough of ALL OF IT!"

Then, she turned to the rest of the Scarecrows with a glare as she spoke while pointing to them.

"And as for you, your plan failed! I'm free, now! And I won't stop until everyone else is!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from the other end of the hall.

"Neither will I!"

In that moment, Tabitha, Dr. West, Kierra, Ava, the unconscious, Rexy, Tuba, Dennis, and the other denizens arrived, boxing the Scarecrows in as Pike was beginning to get frightened.

"We are surrounded!"

* * *

_In the cube, EVE was surprised to see a turnaround of the passengers and denizens standing against the Scarecrows. This greatly perplexed the being as she continued to gaze on it._

_"I don't understand. Why did they all show up all of a sudden?"_

_Penny felt the answer was obvious as she turned to EVE._

_"They're here for you."_

_"What?"_

_"They know you can fix it. Because they believe you can fix it. It's like I said. We can get help..."_

_"But it's up to _me _to make the effort..."_

_Penny knew she was right as she smiled and nodded to her._

* * *

However, back in the lab, the Castigator only found reason to be further agitated as he looked to the cube with a snarl. Seeing the crazed look in his eye, Carper tried to talk him out of whatever he had planned.

"No, father! We have no choice! We have to retreat!"

"I will not lose! No matter the cost!"

With a snarl, he ran towards the cube with Bryce and Tulip trying to stop him, only for him to push them away to the ground. Just then, Atticus emerged from the crowd of denizens and chased after the Castigator as he growled and barked. He looked behind him just in time to see Atticus leaping at him, pushing him through the protective glass and landing on the ground beside the cube as Hazel looked on in surprise.

"Whoa..."

Atticus then smirked to the Castigator as he backed up.

"I told you before, Castigator. There's more to being a king than wearing a crown."

The Castigator stood up with a growl as he panted his breath. Atticus took note of this and kept his distance as Tulip and Bryce caught up to him.

"Atticus!"

"You're okay!"

Atticus turned to the two of them as he smiled and spoke.

"Was there ever any doubt?"

One-One took notice of it and became just as surprised.

"Well, what do you know? I was right."

Atticus then turned his glare to the Castigator as he spoke again.

"It's time you face reality. Your reign is over. When this day ends, you'll amount to nothing more than dust."

Those words only drive the Castigator to further anger as he began breathing more erratically and angrily.

"I...! Will never...! Be...! DUST!"

As he shouted, the Castigator revealed his right claw from his sleeve to show it was holding a dark purple essence before swiftly plunging it into the cube, much to the shock of Tulip and Bryce.

"NO!"

"PENNY!"

* * *

_In the cube, Penny and EVE noticed the background of the cube darkening from dark purple to a more darker shade, acting as if it was being more corrupted than before, making Penny more worried than before._

_"EVE, what's going on?!"_

_"It's the Castigator! He's trying to take over the cube!"_

_Just then, the Castigator's growl could be heard throughout the cube before his face began to appear on all sides of the cube, making Penny and EVE frightened as he spoke down to them._

_"Your pathetic rebellion can only end in ruin!"_

_Seeing a desperate look on his face, Penny knew better. He saw that same desperation when he tried to go after the cube. Penny knew what desperation looked like. She saw it from Bryce when he tried to keep her safe from Varicose. The only reason he could be so desperate was because... he must be afraid. Penny only glared at him as she retorted._

_"Oh, yeah?! Then why are you such a big fraidycat?!"_

_"Disrespectful child! You're but a speck, waiting to be swept away! Be assured that any passenger and denizen that stands with you will join you in the grave!"_

_Suddenly, the cube began to shrink down, making the two worried as they looked around, seeing the walls close in on all sides._

* * *

Back at the lab, the cube was glowing a darker shade of purple as well as striking various dark purple lightning bolts everywhere while he growled while Julian began to fear the worst from this reaction.

"No! Too much! Too much!"

Looking to the Castigator, Varicose was modified of what he's doing.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"What I must! No matter... the cost!"

With the cube's dark essence overflowing as lightning barrages, Atticus backed away from the barrage of lightning bolts as he spoke.

"Everyone, find a buddy and hold on!"

Tulip and Bryce were the first to comply as they held onto each other before Kierra held onto Dennis while Bailey held onto the unconscious Penny, Tabitha held onto Dr. West and vice versa. Even the Scarecrows took Atticus' advice, though it was with each other. Then, Tuba took notice of Hazel at the front-row seat of the impact zone before he jumped over to her with a grunt and grabbed her before turning around, acting as a shield for her just when the lightning could've struck her. As much as it stung him, though, Tuba still held his position, much to Hazel's astonishment.

"Tuba...?"

As for Julian, he was left with nobody to be his buddy. That is, until the deer stepped up in front of him and shielded him from the lightning with One-One riding on top of him as he spoke, much to Julian's confusion.

"Hello. It's great to see you again."

"But you better not be clingy..."

* * *

_Back in the cube, Penny and EVE were being crushed under the weight of the Castigator's trap. No matter how much they wanted to move, they couldn't. All they could do was hold onto each other as they prepared for the worst. With the end seeming more likely, Penny shed her tears as she spoke sadly._

_"I'm sorry I couldn't save her, mommy. I really wanted to help you..."_

* * *

Back at the lab, while Bailey held as tight as she could to Penny, she could hear her whimper. She must be scared of what was going on in the cube. The mother didn't quite know how to help except to be there for her. And she tried her best to do it as she held her hands and closed her eyes.

"It's okay, Penny. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you. This time, I'll make sure of it."

* * *

**_Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Lost in Time"_**

_In the cube, Penny gasped in surprise. She'd heard her mother's voice as plain as day, and from in here, too. She couldn't understand why as she looked around the crushing space. Just then, she felt a hand touching her shoulder. Penny turned her head to see Bailey smiling at her._

_"Mom?"_

_She hugged the two of them as she spoke softly._

_"You helped me fight. Now it's my turn to help you."_

_Despite her assistance, the Castigator only scoffed as his multiple effigies on the walls spoke simultaneously._

_"Of all the impudence!"_

_The Castigator's taunts didn't matter to Bailey. She held her hug with Penny and EVE tightly as the both of them began to glow white, much to EVE's surprise._

* * *

Tulip and Bryce noticed that same glow as Bailey held onto Penny. At the same time, they noticed that the lightning bolts became less frequent as a result. Along with that, they noticed a spot of a golden color was growing amidst the dark splotch that coated it.

"What the...? Bryce, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah. You think they had something to do with this?"

"Only one way to find out."

Tulip and Bryce began to walk over to Bailey and Penny, braving the lightning that struck around them. Despite the difficulty, they managed to make it to Bailey and Penny before joining in on the hug. When they placed their hands on Bailey and Penny's shoulders, they began to glow white, too, surprising them as they gasped before Tulip spoke.

"We're... glowing!"

"What the heck is going on?"

As if to answer, Bryce took notice of the machine glowing bright white as the currents flowed to the mechanical arms before producing that light onto the cube. This gave him an idea. If more people were willing to help Penny, they'd be able to stop the Castigator and save the car.

"Wait a minute. That's it!"

He turned over to Kierra, Ava, Rexy, Tabitha, Dr. West, Atticus, and the other denizens as he shouted.

"Everyone, join in around here! We have to help Penny!"

Tabitha and Dr. West nodded to him before they went over to Bryce and Tulip followed in succession by Ava and the unconscious Rexy, Kierra and Dennis, and Hazel and Tuba. Even the deer and One-One went over to them (mainly because it sniffed something from Penny's pocket) as Julian was dragged by holding on to its hoof as he took notice of the light himself.

"What the...? What kind of surge is that?"

At the same time, Carper took notice of it and became astonished. However, the other Scarecrows were repulsed by that light as they felt it would mean the situation got worse. But Carper knew better as she gazed towards the light.

* * *

_In the cube, Tulip, Bryce, Kierra, Dr. West, Kierra, Dennis, Hazel, Tuba, Tabitha, Atticus, One-One, the deer, and many others joined with Tulip and Bailey as EVE became surprised. Though, when Ava and Rexy appeared, the latter woke up to see a distorted realm and everyone beside him, which greatly perplexed the dino._

_"Huh? Hey! What's with the light show?"_

_EVE knew that they all came for her, but to think that they'd link with her just to help her... it brought more hope to her than she ever counted on._

_"Everyone... You believe... in me?"_

_Tulip and Bryce all look to her as they smiled before they spoke._

_"Of course we do."_

_"We know a thing or two about making mistakes. But you can't let that stop you, not now."_

_Their words proved it. It showed that they believed in her no matter what she did. Just like Penny said they would. This made EVE smile as she held tightly on Penny's hands, beginning to shine brightly herself, making the group all look to her as EVE spoke._

_"That's right. You're all counting on me to make up for my mistakes. I can't let myself get pushed around anymore."_

_Then, suddenly, their white light began to get pulled into EVE as the glow faded from them while hers grew as bright as the sun itself. When EVE took in all of the light, Penny and the others looked up to her in awe as EVE spoke._

_"Starting today... I won't get tied down by my past anymore! Maybe I can't fix the past, but I can still fix what's going to happen! Do you know why, Castigator?! Because the future starts now!"_

_EVE made no hesitation to fire her blast of light to the ceiling, turning her dark purple area back to its golden color. Adding to that, the once corrupted glowing orbs regained their normal color. Soon, the rest of the car followed with them as the monitors showed the outside of the car as the once wilted plants and grass revitalized to their green color with the sunlight returning as the clouds parted, much to Tabitha's wonder._

_"Our car... it's turning back to normal!"_

_Then, Penny took notice of the area growing back to normal as the Castigator was grunting in pain._

_"Look!"_

* * *

At the lab, Julian became concerned for the overload and it's consequences as the dark code was being rejected and the cube was turning into a golden and blue color with the Castigator groaning in pain.

"No, it's too much! Shut it down! SHUT IT DOWN!"

The Castigator could not hear him. His mind was inside the cube, and it was enduring just as much pain as his body is.

_Inside the cube, the Castigator's images began to shatter one by one like glass. When only one was left, EVE glared at the Castigator before she spoke to him._

_"This car doesn't belong to you, and it never will! SO GET OUT!"_

_EVE then fired her blast of light at the Castigator, seemingly burning him to dust as he screamed._

_"NOOOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

In the lab, the Castigator's body suddenly catapulted towards the floor and landed near the Scarecrows as they looked on in horror while Carper looked with surprise before the glow dimmed to show the golden cube in its full luster. After which, the light faded from the group that huddled by Bailey and Penny as the little girl stirred from her slumber and looked up to see her mother, Tulip, Bryce, and Tabitha, among many other faces as she spoke.

"Guys? Did... did we win...?"

Bailey smiled to Penny as she hugged her before speaking softly.

"I knew you could do it."

Penny hugged her back, remembering then how she and everyone else helped EVE take back control as she giggled.

**_End Chrome Canyon Music: "Lost in Time"_**

However, not everyone was happy, particularly the Scarecrows. Although Carper was more flabbergasted, the others were very angry, especially Pike as he shouted at them.

"You'll die for this impudence, you noxious troublemakers!"

The whole group turned over to the Scarecrows in surprise save for the denizens who only glared at them. Tuba joined in on their mob as he set Hazel down safely and beat his fist into his open palm, making Pike admittedly nervous.

"What are you doing?"

Dennis began walking closer to them as the other denizens followed.

"We have a score to settle. And what better way to settle it than with fisticuffs? Ho-ho!"

As Dennis chortled, even Varicose was getting anxious about the army of denizens outnumbering them. Despite their numbers, Pike tried to assume power.

"They're coming for us!"

"I demand you stop where you are!"

They didn't listen. In fact, Tabitha, Kierra, Dr. West, Tulip, Bryce, Ava, Tulip, and Bryce joined in as they glared at the Scarecrows before Pike called out to them again.

"Halt! That's far enough!"

When they continued to walk over to the Scarecrows, Pike stammered in fear as did the rest of the Scarecrows (save for Carper a she cradled her father in her arms) before Tabitha spoke.

"You've taken advantage of us for too long. Now it's _your _turn to be afraid!"

Indeed it was. The Scarecrows were utterly helpless. They were vastly outnumbered, and any swing they take will surely miss. Pike was getting very nervous as he turned to Varicose.

"What shall we do?"

"We must escape without delay!"

"Ah! At long last, you've had a good idea! Retreat!"

Having heard Varicose's idea of a course of action, they all took out a small device with a button on top from each of their pockets, making no hesitation to press them before they suddenly vanished in a green electronic haze, baffling many of the denizens. However, Carper and the weakened Castigator remained as she cradled him.

"Father, we have to retreat."

"Yes. Yes... my most trusted advisor. We must retreat..."

Carper then got out her device as she looked to the group in front of her bearing an angry frown as she pressed it.

"We won't forget this..."

With that, Carper and the Castigator vanished in a green electronic haze. With the Scarecrows gone, Tabitha took a deep breath as she spoke to herself.

"We did it. We're free..."

The group all became very excited as Atticus shouted.

"The Scarecrows have been vanquished!"

The denizens and the passengers all began to cheer as Kierra smiled while Dr. West shook his fists proudly before kissing Tabitha on the cheek, making her blush before he realized what he had done and became embarrassed only for Tabitha to kiss him back but on the lips and held it longer as she hugged him. Upon seeing this, Tulip and Bryce smiled at the sight, though they couldn't help but blush themselves when they noticed how close they were to each other.

Meanwhile, as the group of denizens cheered, Bailey noticed Julian crawling away with a growl. She felt bad seeing him like this as she sighed, making Penny curious as she spoke.

"What is it, mommy?"

"Hang on a second."

Bailey took a moment apart from her daughter to go to Julian, unaware that Penny followed her on the way as she spoke.

"Julian. Wait."

Hearing her voice, Julian turned to her with a menacing glare, feeling as though he was betrayed after her punch on his face.

"What is it now...?"

"You don't have to leave."

"And stay where I'm not wanted? Hah! I've had enough of that for a lifetime."

Despite his answer, Bailey still felt sorry for him as she spoke again.

"We used to be so close... we could be like that again."

Julian only glared at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes as he then looked down to the confused Penny before he gave a light growl as he got out a small device with a button on top.

"Another world, another time..."

Julian then pushed the button before fading in a green, electronic haze. With Julian gone, Bailey sighed as she held her head down before Penny spoke to her.

"Why did you want the scary man to stay?"

"Because, Penny... it wasn't his fault. He just had a bad life. I just wanted to make it better for him."

After a moment, Penny hugged Bailey's leg, speaking softly as she looked up to her.

"Thanks for helping me, mommy."

Bailey smiled back to her as she knelt down and returned that hug.

"No, Penny. Thank you... for helping me be free."

* * *

Some time later, the passengers that were under the Scarecrows' thrall were helping to repair the damages they've unwittingly caused to the forest homes. After EVE's rebellion against the Scarecrows restored the Cube of Creation, her resulting shockwave erased the chains that bound them to Chain's hypnosis. Since then, they became ashamed of everything they did in their name, much like Bailey was. But she and Tabitha helped them become better people as they helped repair the buildings and installed new windows with the deer using its laser eyes to seal them up before eating the now fresh grass beneath it. And he wasn't the only one to help. Kierra, One-One, and Dr. West were pitching in to help, too.

For instance, Kierra, One-One, and Dr. West were cleaning up the mess in the rooms the Scarecrows had made. They wiped clean every piece of propaganda that they had with a special sponge, washing them away while restoring the pictures to their former glory as One-One sang a song.

"When you scrub up, you lift your heart up! You gotta be clean, clean, clean!"

Of course, as reparations were being made, Hazel was just getting to know Penny and her story. Though, one subject threw her off.

"Wait, so how come you don't have a number?"

"I was born on the train, and in this car, too."

"Wow, really?"

"Uh-huh. But why doesn't your number glow?"

This made Hazel's face a bit saddened at first as she looked to her hand. When she saw that look, Penny realized that it wasn't the right question to ask as it seemed to have made her uncomfortable.

"Uh... you know what? Never mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Hazel gave a soft smile to Penny as she looked at her.

"No, it's okay. I guess... I just can't understand why, either."

"Well, I hope you find someone who does. I wish I could help, but let's face it: I probably know just about as much as you."

Hazel then began to laugh a bit before Penny did the same thing. After a moment, Hazel spoke gently as she hugged her.

"Thanks, Penny. It really means a lot."

"Mm-hmm."

Suddenly, Tuba jumped up from a nearby bush as he shouted.

"Tickle ambush!"

Tuba caught Penny and Hazel in his big hands before he began to tickle them, making them laugh their heads off as far away, Rexy was told by Ava and Atticus about everything that's happened since he got zapped.

"So, you're telling me that there was a grand revolution against the Scarecrows, inspired by me, and I was unconscious the whole time?! Why didn't you wake me up?!"

This made Ava feel embarrassed as she spoke to him.

"I wasn't sure it was the best idea. You did need to recover."

"But they were counting on me! It could've saved them a lot of trouble, you know!"

With that, Atticus cleared his throat, making Rexy stop his rant before he turned over to the corgi king.

"Rexy, that's hardly what matters at the moment. For one thing, the Scarecrows have left this car, never to return."

Rexy may want to argue with Atticus, but he honestly did not like their guts, especially not after how they treated him.

"Yeah, good riddance to _those _guys. But what's another thing?"

Atticus raised his eyebrows with a smirk before he reminded him about what was talked about before.

"You know? The king's reward you were so eager to receive?"

Rexy widened his eyes in anticipation.

"Oh, that's right! I was so caught up in that revolution, I forgot all about it. So, where is it?"

"Allow me to show you."

Atticus then began to lead the way as Ava looked to him in concern.

"Atticus, are you sure?"

"Well, he did make a good effort to inspire a successful revolution. It's the least I could do. All debts must be repaid, after all."

"But what exactly did you get him?"

"You'll see."

It wasn't long before they stopped at a shady part of the forest, making Rexy confused as he looked around.

"Huh? I don't get it. Where is—?"

Before Rexy finished, he was overwhelmed by a blinding light of gold before he saw a golden chest shining its light on him from a sunlight being let in through the trees' leaves before Atticus spoke.

"Behold, the king's reward!"

Rexy's eyes widened in eagerness as he walked towards the chest. While he did, his imagination began to run wild.

"Oh! I wonder what it is. Maybe it's a pile of gold. Or maybe a pot of gold! Or even solid-gold pot full of gold!"

Rexy opened the chest, but what he found in there was far from what he expected. Instead of the gold he wanted so badly, he only found a gold medal. And one that was tied up with a red ribbon and it inscribed his name on it. Despite the recognition, though, he appeared a bit disappointed.

"_This _is the king's reward?"

After a moment, he began to grin excitedly before he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I LOVE IT! How did you know red was my favorite color?! And it's got my name on it, too!"

While Rexy treasured his reward, Ava became curious about how he pulled it off.

"Where did you get that medal?"

"Oh, I put in a good word with EVE about it. She wanted to congratulate all the denizens that rebelled against the Scarecrows. Of course, for Rexy, I asked her if she could make something special for him."

"Oh. That's a good call. But, now that I think about it... I wonder how EVE's doing now."

* * *

Back at Nirvana City, Tulip and Bryce were lined up to talk to EVE. She was resting in her area, but she could communicate with the people who wanted to speak with her via a hologram from the cube. An interesting development according to Tulip. She only saw that kind of thing in movies. Though, that was hardly the important thing as Bryce spoke to her.

"We're glad you're feeling better, EVE. Especially after what happened to you all this time."

"Well, I have you guys to thank for it. If you didn't help me stand up for myself, I would've been crushed. Literally..."

That scenario wasn't something Tulip wanted to think about as she brushed the back of her head.

"Yeah. That would've been really messy..."

Tulip began to put on a sad face, making EVE curious. She took notice of that look and wanted to know what was wrong.

"Are you alright, Tulip?"

Tulip turned over to EVE, still thinking about what Chain said.

"Yeah. Sorry... it's about my number. As much as I want to take a look, I... I feel like it'll make everything worse if I do. Like I'll go crazy trying to figure it out like before."

There was a slight pause for a moment before EVE spoke to her again.

"You know, I can fix that for you, and Bryce, too."

This made Tulip and Bryce look up to her in curiosity.

"Huh?"

"Fix it how?"

"Well... I can erase your numbers."

Tulip and Bryce widened their eyes from hearing that. Is it really possible to wipe a number clean? Could that be a way back home?

"What?!"

"You mean you can do that?"

"Of course. The AIDAMS did scan you before. And when that happened, your records about what led you here are synced up to the panel to let them know what is expected of the Passenger. Of course, they can be erased and let them stay in this car. But it's your choice, really."

"Our choice?"

EVE nodded to Tulip as she proceeded to explain.

"That's right, Tulip. The Paradise Car _can_ help people escape their problems, but not all of them want to. Some of them actually want to face them head-on. I don't know how much they'll succeed, but I respected their decision back then. And after all that's happened, I still do."

Tulip looked to her glove covering he numbered hand as she spoke.

"So, you're saying that our numbers have something to do with our problems?"

"Something like that, yes. But... you should know, if I erase those numbers, you can't go back home."

Bryce and Tulip gasped and widened their eyes from hearing that as EVE continued.

"See, your numbers aren't just related to your problems. They're also the key to getting you back home. Erasing them means erasing any chances you have to go back. But it's not all bad. You could stay here and make a better life, if you want."

This was truly a tough decision. All they've ever wanted since they got back on the train was to get back home. But, as if to make it harder, their situations at home might be somehow worse than before. Like for Bryce's case, he's worried about dealing with Don Romero and his hang while Tulip was afraid of the rejection her parents would give to her for running away the way she did. And for that matter, what could they do about Penny now?

Sure, she's reunited with her mother, but after everything that happened, it's only made it tougher to decide whether or not they should keep their numbers or delete them. However, Bryce remembered what Bailey told her.

* * *

_Sometime after they fought the Scarecrows and before the cleanup, Tulip and Bryce were just told about her story prior to the shutdown. It was the most beautiful and romantic story that they've ever heard._

_"Wow. That really happened?"_

_"You were born on the train, and you married a passenger?"_

_"Yep. Truth is, I wanted to see what Aiden's world is like. And I wanted to show it to Penny. But then, the shutdown happened, and... well, you know the rest. No matter what or where, I just wanted to spend the rest of my life with him and Penny in your world. That was all I ever wanted..."_

* * *

Bryce looked to Tulip as she remembered that memory as well. Even if they may not want to go back home, Bailey and Penny would've given everything to see their world. And after what they've been through, they owed them that much. The two nodded to each other before turning back to EVE as Bryce answered before Tulip.

"EVE, we appreciate the offer, but we'll have to pass. We may not exactly know what those numbers mean, or how they're our key to get back home. But we do know that there are at least two people who wanted to see our world. And after everything they've been through, it wouldn't be right not to get them that wish."

"And besides, getting rid of them, especially when we have... issues about them isn't going to make our problems go away. Does that make sense?"

After a moment, EVE gave them a smile as she replied.

"It's alright. I understand. I'll prep up the exit door for you on the main floor."

Bryce smiled back at EVE, happy with how understanding she is before he spoke to her.

"Thanks."

"No, Bryce. Thank you."

While Bryce nodded to her, Tulip felt something in her coat pocket and took out a picture of Tabitha, Bailey, and the infant Penny. Then, she remembered. Kierra was meaning to give it to Tabitha when this was all over, but she'd nearly forgotten all about it. How fortunate it was to find it beforehand. But she also knew that photo meant just as much to Bailey. With all that she did to keep her alive, she deserved it. Then, she had an idea.

"Hey, EVE? Before we go, think you can do something with this?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bailey, who now wore a light blue jacket over her grey dress and her long hair now cut to a medium length, was just finishing up on repairing the house with the last installation of a window before the deer zapped it tight, sealing the window in the hole before she spoke.

"Well, that's about it. The last window for this... house."

While she looked through the window, Bailey began to recognize the house that she looked through. She began to see a memory of herself with Aiden and young Penny. They were sitting together as the little baby cooed while the past Bailey spoke before Aiden.

* * *

_"Look at her. She's like an angel."_

_"I'm just glad she's healthy. Healthy and beautiful, just like her mother."_

While the baby cooed gently again, the future Bailey began to shed tears as her past self spoke to her husband again.

_"Hey, Aiden."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"If we go to your world... who would she grow up to be? We didn't have labels here when people are born on the train."_

_"And there won't be any in my world, either. She could grow up to be who she wants. For her, the sky's the limit."_

Bailey was about to start crying, but she stopped herself and wiped her tears away. After which, she heard Tabitha's voice behind her.

"You okay, Bailey?"

Bailey turned around to see Tabitha as she replied, trying not to seem so sad.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm just... having an unpleasant walk down memory lane."

"I figured."

After a moment passed, Tabitha spoke to her again.

"Bailey... what are you going to do now?"

"I was just thinking about that, actually. Bryce told me that he and Tulip were looking for the conductor. Maybe he could help with our numbers. And then we'll just figure out a way to go to Aiden's world. Who knows? Maybe I could find him along the way, too."

"But Bailey, nobody's seen him since the shutdown happened. We don't even know if he's—"

Before she could finish, Bailey gripped Tabitha by her shoulder desperately as her voice broke down softly with a tear escaping her eye.

"Please, Maria... I've been through too much already to think about that. Just let me have this. Please..."

Tabitha found it hard to argue with her looking the way she did. But she could understand. She didn't want to believe Bailey was dead, after all, and that turned out okay, despite the circumstances. Maybe things could work out that way for her, too. Through her smile, she hoped it would be the case.

"Of course. But what are you going to do when you find out what happened to him?"

Bailey let go of her shoulder, being silent for a moment before taking a deep breath, trying not to break down at the thought.

"Well, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides, I haven't been around for Penny like I should have. I know it's not really my fault, but still... I owe her this."

Tabitha smiled at her as she spoke to her.

"Then, I guess... this really is goodbye."

"Yeah. I guess it is..."

Bailey tried hard not to cry, but she couldn't find the strength to do it, knowing she wouldn't see Tabitha again. It was only a matter of time before she broke down and sobbed lightly on Tabitha.

"I'm gonna miss you, so much...!"

Tabitha only returned the hug with a sigh as she spoke.

"I know. I'll miss you, too."

* * *

A moment after, Ava, Atticus, and Rexy left the shaded area of the forest as the dinosaur admired his medal.

"Man, if only I had a shelf to hang this baby, I'd look at it and get a good night's sleep all the time."

Ava couldn't help but smile as she spoke.

"Do you mean that like you had a good night's sleep throughout the whole revolution?"

"Hey! That's too soon!"

In that moment, Atticus took notice of Penny playing with Hazel and Tuba as they were dodging his hands that tried to pin and tickle them like he did before. But here, Tuba was getting his work cut out for them. Wherever his hands went, they would jump, run, and even roll away from them as they laughed while the poor gorilla had trouble catching them, complaining before Penny and Hazel spoke in that order.

"Sit still, you guys!"

"Come on, Tuba! Catch us!"

"You can do it!"

He couldn't help but giggle to himself as he spoke about Tuba.

"It seems Tuba's found his companion already."

This colored Ava intrigued as she looked at the scene herself.

"You mean Hazel, right? Because you know Penny is..."

"Of course, she's with me. And Tulip, One-One, and Bryce for that matter. But, you know, you two can come along with us."

This made Ava and Rexy intrigued as she raised her eyebrows while she and Rexy spoke intermittently.

"What?"

"I'm serious. We may not have the same goals in mind, but we acknowledge those differences and with respect. Take One-One, for example. He was looking for his mother before he met Tulip and Bryce. I'm sure you can relate

This made Ava embarrassed as she realized who he heard that story from.

"W-When did Penny tell you about that?!"

"Some time ago, actually. Nonetheless, the offer is still on the table."

Ava then looked back to see Penny, Hazel, and Tuba being met with Bailey as she came into view before she called Penny over while she was being tickled again.

"Hey, Penny. Can you come over here?"

Seeing Bailey, Tuba stopped his tickling to let Penny go to her mother.

"Huh? What is it, mommy?"

"You better get ready. We're gonna leave the train, soon."

"Wait, 'we?'"

"That's right. I'm coming with you."

As Bailey smiled, Penny gasped loudly before she shouted excitedly.

"REALLY?! You wanna come with us?!"

"Yeah. I owed you that much after six years of being without a mother."

In her fit of happiness, Penny jumped up on Bailey, who caught her before spinning around as the two hugged each other. As Ava saw this happy moment, she couldn't help but shed a few tears. She'd never known such a moment between a mother and daughter, at least not like this (for her dino mother's arms were too short with a body so tall). Rexy saw that look on Ava's face and turned back to Atticus as he answered casually.

"Sure. Why not? It wouldn't hurt for us to have a good group."

This caught Ava by surprise as she looked to him.

"What? Rexy..."

"I am pleased to hear it. We'll rendezvous with Penny and Bailey posthaste. Come along."

As Atticus went over to Penny and Bailey, Ava looked over to Rexy with disbelief.

"Rexy, why did you do that?"

"Why wouldn't I? They're looking for the conductor guy, right? If we find him, maybe we can find your mom, too. Isn't that what you want?"

Ava widened her eyes as she became surprised for a moment before she began to shed happy tears and hugged Rexy quickly before lifting him up.

"Thank you, Rexy. Thank you so much..."

Rexy smiled back at her as he replied.

"You're welcome, pal."

With that, Ava began to run over to Bailey and Penny as she held Rexy in her arms before Atticus spoke up to her.

"Ah, there you are. You were certainly taking your time."

"Sorry. I was just having a moment to myself."

Atticus took notice of Ava holding Rexy and had a feeling about what she meant as he smiled.

"I can see that. Well, everything seems to be in order. Shall we go to the exit?"

Everyone besides Hazel and Tuba nodded in agreement as they spoke simultaneously, unaware that Tabitha was watching from afar as she sighed before she spoke to herself.

"Yeah!"

"I'm so glad Penny has friends like hers..."

* * *

Later, Tulip, Bryce, Atticus, One-One, Penny, Bailey (who now had a dark red sling pack), Ava, and Rexy were all set and ready to go to the exit door on the main floor of Nirvana City's building. And it had quite a turnout. Seeing them off were Tabitha, Dr. West, the deer, Hazel, Tuba, and Kierra with the first three on the left and the rest on the right. They wanted to wish the others luck for all that they've done to liberate this car and its people. Though, they had their own words to say as Tabitha and Dr. West spoke to Bryce.

"I wasn't sure about you at first, but after today, I'm more certain than ever. I know you can handle this."

"Just be sure you take good care of her."

"I will. Just as long as you two play nice."

This made Tabitha and Dr. West blush from his comment before she smiled and replied.

"Consider it done."

Kierra took her turn next to speak to Penny as she stepped up.

"You know, you're a really tough girl for a six-year-old."

"Thanks. I learned it from my big brother."

"Don't let anyone push you down, okay?"

Penny nodded to her with a grin as she spoke.

"Okay."

Kierra turned her attention next to Tulip and Bryce, remembering that she gave them the photo of Tabitha, Bailey, and young Penny.

"Uh, guys? You still have that picture I gave you?"

Bryce looked to her with a smile as he spoke.

"You can talk to EVE about that."

This caught Kierra off-guard for a moment before she smiled, getting the hint of what he meant.

"Got it."

Then, it was Hazel's turn to speak up as Penny looked to her.

"Do you really have to go, Penny? It was so fun playing with you."

Penny saw how sad Hazel was, but then, she smiled as she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay to be sad. I'll miss you, too. But, you know what? I think it helps if you say goodbye. That way, you can always remember their smile and how happy it makes you. Know what I mean?"

Hazel found it hard to be happy, knowing she'd be gone.

"I know, but..."

"Hey. Come on, Hazel. You can smile. Look."

Penny then put her fingers on her lips and lifted them, making her smile before she began to giggle a bit from how silly Penny is. After smiling a bit she spoke.

"Okay. I hope we can see each other again."

"Yeah. Me, too."

With that, Bryce stepped up to the door and opened it, revealing the bridge to the train that's usually seen between every car and stepped forth with the others following as those seeing them off waved goodbye to them. And as Penny exited the door, she waved to Ms. Tabitha as she spoke.

"Thank you, Ms. Tabby."

When she stepped outside, the door closed as Tabitha smiled.

"You're welcome, Penny. It's the least I could do."

Then, she looked back to Tuba and Hazel as the latter sniffled, still trying to keep herself happy like Penny said to. Dr. West looked over to them, too, and he knew that they couldn't exactly stay any longer than they need to.

"So, what are we going to do with them?"

"Well, they can stay if they want to. But... at the same time, I feel like she'd be in bigger danger if she stays..."

"Exactly. We could always use one of the transporters."

This made Tabitha widen her eyes as it seemed too sudden to suggest.

"Mark!"

"What? They get to choose where to go. We're not forcing it on them."

"Oh. Right... I guess it can work."

"Then it's settled."

Tabitha then turned to Hazel and Tuba as she spoke.

"Hazel, Tuba? Can you two come with me, please?"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the car, Bryce was stretching his arms as Tulip sat down.

"Whoo! That was a really tough car."

"No kidding. Who would've thought a car like that would be a intense?"

Rexy then spoke up as he brought up the good news of it, though he didn't like the burnt end of his tail.

"Yeah, but look on the bright side. You found me, Ava, and Penny's mom. If anything, I'd call it a 'no pain, no gain' situation. Not that the pain was worth it, though..."

Penny viewed it differently, seeing that the pain was worth it. Without it, she never would've found her mom or saved her home from the Scarecrows.

"Yeah. I mean, I found my mom so far. Who knows? Maybe we can find daddy, too!"

Bailey smiled at the little girl as she held her hand.

"My thoughts exactly, Penny."

With everyone ready to embark, One-One spoke up as he peeked out of Tulip's backpack.

"Onward, everyone! One more car here means one car closer to the Conductor!"

Little did they know that as they embarked, Night Shroud was watching from on top of the car they'd just left behind. And she wasn't the only one. The cat was with them as well. But the latter looked more visibly pleased than Night Shroud as she spoke, gesturing to Tulip and Bryce as they held each other's hands.

"Ah, look at that. We have more visitors, even that girl with the dinosaur, looking for the mother she doesn't realize is a wretch. And those two at the front look just as lively as ever. It makes me wonder... what did he ever see in _you_?"

Though the cat irritated Night Shroud, she knew that it was vital to their mission given to them by the Conductor. She humored her with this answer.

"I was the same way once. But then I found out the truth."

"Well, he's obviously been the better for it since he told them the truth. And we both know what he'll do if he goes back home. Why can't you just leave them alone?"

Night Shroud only glared at her as she spoke menacingly.

"If this is a ploy to let you go, you can forget it. Besides, you don't get it. You don't understand what he did to me... what he made me lose..."

The cat only scoffed at her as she spoke.

"That tragic victim card can only get you so far. In fact, it practically flew out the window when you killed another passenger."

**_Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Atticus Gets Changed (It's Okay to Cry) (2:17-2:41)"_**

That was the last straw for Night Shroud as she drew out a green laser sword and pointed it at her, making her yowl quickly as she spoke.

"That's right. I did. So if I were you, I wouldn't talk to someone who can kill you just as easily."

The cat only hissed, getting up with a scowl before she spoke.

"You do realize that killing him won't make you feel any better, don't you? Any more than killing _her _did?"

Night Shroud took a deep breath before she placed her hand on her mask and took it off, holding it in her hand as her long orange hair flowed in the wind out of her hood while she spoke.

"You don't understand... _anything_."

**_End Chrome Canyon Music: "Atticus Gets Changed (It's Okay to Cry) (2:17-2:41)"_**

**A/N: So, what did you think? A cool ending for the Forsaken Car Saga, right? Though, it leaves a lot of questions. Like, who is Ava's mother? How will Penny and Bailey go to Bryce and Tulip's world? And who is Night Shroud? Only I know the answers, but as I said before, I won't reveal it just yet verbally for the story's sake. For now, you'll just have to wait… For now, just read on, and all will be revealed… Oh, and there's a minor note that you all should know. After "The Chrome Car", along with "The Matchmaking Car", there will be an additional chapter of it that will show an imminent lemon. Those of you who are older are welcome to read it, but for you underaged readers, IT'S FORBIDDEN! To show this, I will make it as a separate story, just so people get the message. And speaking of separate stories, you can look forward to a future story that will link itself with Book 3 in case any of you are interested in Kierra's story, which I'm sure you must be by now. And as for Hazel and Tuba, don't worry. They'll be back in The Jungle Car, in case it wasn't clear with Tabitha and Mark's plan to keep her safe. And also, about EVE's voice, she is portrayed by Janice Kawaye (in other words Jenny Wakeman. Totally loved "My Life as a Teenage Robot"!) Ahem. Anyway, have a good day. :) **


	16. The Chrome Car

**A/N: Hello. :) Here is the Chrome Car as promised. I know many of you have waited for this chapter, so I was hard at work trying to prepare this chapter. I hope this is to your liking. :)**

**Act II - Chapter XV:** The Chrome Car

This was a new day for Tulip and Bryce. Before they came across Penny's home car and restored it, they, Atticus, and One-One used to be all that she has. But now, with three more members on board, her mother, Ava, and Rexy, Penny had them as good company as well. Ava and Rexy already knew her story during their adventure, but Bailey was out of the loop on that. During the long travel, though, Penny told her mother about everything she'd been through since she last saw her as a baby.

Tabitha had raised her for 6 years in the Orphanage Car that consisted of the surviving children of the Shutdown Incident, where passengers would look for a child, missing or otherwise, and select one for adoption. It took her six years for her to be adopted until she met Bryce. She wasn't sure if he was the one when she first saw him, but because of his patience, along with his gentle words, she came to trust him. Since then, he did everything he could to keep her safe. But things got complicated when she learned the bitter truth about him: he'd been sent to the train because he stole from the bank.

Such an action was wrong in itself, but she was mad because she felt she was being lied to. It made her upset and she ran away. But as a result, the one who corrupted her home to begin with, Osore, captured her and tortured the poor girl. Fortunately, Bryce, Tulip, Atticus, and One-One freed her and saved her from the Boogeyman. Of course, it wasn't until the Unfinished Car that they found out his shadow still lurked.

When the shadow was out in the open from Penny's self-doubt and pity, Bryce fought the monster off and comforted her like a big brother should. With that doubt and fear weakened, the monster could not thrive, and it shriveled to dust. After that, their travels went on as usual until they encountered Penny's car. Bailey didn't need to know what happened from there as she was a part of it. But even as she exited the car full of jelly beans and brushed her hair with Penny to shake the candies off of them, Bailey was still flabbergasted.

"What? You've really been through all of that?"

"Yep."

"Wow. No wonder you knew what to say."

"What can I say? I've had a good big brother."

Speaking of, Bryce and Tulip exited the car with Atticus, Ava, Rexy, and One-One. Though, they weren't used to having jelly beans in places where they weren't supposed to be, least of all Tulip and Atticus as the latter had countless beans in his fur.

"Why are there so many cars where I pick stuff out of my hair?"

"You're telling me."

Atticus grunted as he shook off the beans from his fur. Some of them flew near Penny and Bailey as they covered their faces to protect themselves from the scattered beans. Of course, the daughter laughed it off while the mother spoke.

"Hey! Watch where you fling those things!"

Tulip gave a slight chuckle at this before she decided to help clean Atticus herself. Funny as it was to watch, she had a feeling the cleanup would go faster by lending a hand.

"Here, let me help."

As Tulip brushed off the beans, Bryce was helping Ava with her hair as the beans were hidden within. Ava feared the help was strenuous.

"Are you sure it isn't going to hurt?"

"Don't worry, Ava. This isn't the first time I've picked something out of someone's hair."

"Well, it is a better option than Rexy's claws."

Overhearing her comment, Rexy began to take offense to it very quickly.

"Hey! What's wrong with my nails?"

Ava couldn't turn her head, but she looked to Rexy as she answered.

"Two words: too long."

Rexy took a look at his long nails and began to see her point.

"Touché."

At the same time, Tulip got rid of all the jelly beans in Atticus' fur except one that got stuck to it. She didn't know how it got stuck, considering nobody locked a jelly bean and stuck it on him. Luckily, she knew what to do to get it out. She got out a small red multitool and sifted through the options.

"Nail file. Tweezers. Mirror."

It took a short while before Tulip found what she was looking for: a pair of mini-scissors.

"Ah! Okay, hold still."

Atticus wasn't normally sure about someone using scissors on him, but when it cane to Tulip, he knew there was nothing to worry about. He closed his eyes and turned his head to let her carry on.

"I trust you."

Tulip grunted as she used the scissors to cut a small patch of Atticus' fur and removed the jelly bean with it.

"Success!"

Having seen this herself, Ava felt her multitool can be useful for another matter, as did Rexy.

"Great. Any chance you can use that nail file for Rexy?"

"Yeah, I think I really am starting to let myself go."

Before Tulip could accept or deny the request, One-One spoke joyfully before his more existentialist side spoke up.

"Ooh! Me next!"

"This is my cocoon now."

Penny saw an opportunity to contribute as she spoke up excitedly while raising her hand.

"Oh! Oh! Can I help? I wanna show mommy that cool trick!"

This piqued Bryce's curiosity as well as Bailey's as they spoke simultaneously.

"Huh? What trick?"

Tulip gave her a smile as she laughed a bit.

"Sure. You know where to aim, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Tulip held the jelly bean in front of Penny while using her own finger to get ready to flick. She centered One-One with the bean in her aim before she flicked it while making a cute sound.

"Boop."

Penny's aim was exactly on the spot as the bean hit One-One and knocked all the others off of him before he giggled while Bryce and Bailey became impressed.

"Whoa."

"How did you do that, Penny?"

Penny looked to them as she answered in her good-natured way.

"Tulip showed me while we were camping."

"Camping?"

Although Bailey became confused on when they had the time to do it, it did made Bryce remember the last time they camped out before he brought it into conversation.

"Oh, right. The last time we did that was in that Rainforest car. You remember that, Tulip?"

"Yeah. I also remember how hot and humid it was just from wearing our jackets. The 'rain' part didn't help out, either."

"No kidding."

Tulip and Bryce then laughed at each other for a bit before noticing Penny hoarding the beans that were knocked out of One-One. Not sure where they ended up, Bryce tried to stop her.

"Eh, I wouldn't eat those, Penny."

"Huh? How come?"

"You don't know where they've been. A lot of people could've stepped on those things."

One-One then added to Bryce's answer with his own descriptions.

"Mm-hmm. Yes, sir. There's no better flavor than the taste of a footprint."

"Yeah, sure if you like the flavor of foot fungus or athletes foot."

This disgusted Penny as she made a sound.

"Yuck!"

She tossed away the beans she hoarded off of the rail, disappointed she couldn't find a tasty one as she made a stank face before Bryce spoke to her.

"Hey, it's okay. I got some in my pocket for you. Here."

Bryce dug into his pocket and got out a few jelly beans, making Penny widen her eyes in wonder while Sad One spoke.

"Hope you like pocket lint flavor."

While Tulip and Bryce looked at Penny as she eagerly accepted beans, Bailey couldn't help but feel how lost she was. Despite having been told everything about what'd happened to her daughter, she still felt like she's dragging behind. Still, she didn't want things to get awkward as she put on a smile and looked at the trio.

"Look at them. I haven't been with my Lucky Penny for six years, and now... she's already growing up. Do I really need to be around for this...?"

Penny took notice of her mother beginning to frown. She began to suspect something was wrong as she tried to find out.

"What's wrong, mommy?"

Her voice shook Bailey from the train of thought before she tried to rebound from her momentarily sad disposition.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking to myself is all. Uh, let's move on, shall we?"

As Bailey went over to the door with Tulip, Bryce, and Penny following her, Rexy could tell something was off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"What's with her?"

* * *

On the other side, the door opened to show Tulip and the others on their end, seeing a very large place with many figures and shapes clad in hard metal and steel. Some even floated by themselves as they looked around. Tulip hazarded a guess as she took notice of the material everything was made of.

"Whoa! Everything is chrome."

Bryce, on the other hand, focused on the reflection beneath him.

"Chrome would be an understatement, Tulip. Everything's like a mirror in here."

Glad One saw the bright side to this car as he rolled into it while the others followed.

"I don't think anything will stick to our hairs here."

Penny tried to go in, but her mother, trying her best to act like it, felt it best to exercise caution as she stopped her.

"Hold on, Penny. We don't know what it's like."

While entering the room, Bryce and Tulip began to slide around the room, as if they were ice-skating.

"I think I do, Bailey. It's like a skating rink, but with mirrors."

"It's like a vain person's skating rink?"

While Bryce and Tulip skated around, Penny became very anxious, but Bailey tried to stop her.

"Cool! I wanna skate!"

"Penny, wait!"

Despite her protests, Penny went underneath her mother's arm before she skated, too. Though, since it was her first time skating, she nearly fumbled it up, forcing Bailey to enter the room before she held her daughter up by the arms just when she could've fallen. Penny looked up to her as Bailey checked on her.

"That was close. Are you okay, Penny?"

Penny didn't consider it a big deal from slipping and falling if it was for a very short time, but she had to answer just to humor her.

"Uh, I guess. Thanks."

"Sure. I'll always help you."

Penny smiled at her for a bit, but after a moment, she turned to her mother.

"Uh... can you let me go now?"

Bailey's face blushed as she realized she hadn't let her go.

"Oh! Right. Sure. But stay close to me, okay?"

Penny didn't think anything of it. At least she's giving her some space.

"Okay."

With that, Penny continued to skate to her heart's content while her mother watched her like a hawk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ava was skating like there was no tomorrow. Rexy was catching up to her, but Ava turned at the giant metal donut in front of her.

"Quick, Rexy! Think fast!"

Rexy tried to do the same as Ava did to turn herself away, but his toes only scraped the floor before he crashed into the donut with a thud. Recovering from the crash, Rexy found that he wasn't used to such a slippery floor, nor was his body built for it.

"Okay, what kind of genius would make the floor so hard to handle for my feet?!"

Despite his complaint, Rexy proceeded to catch up to Ava while Atticus whimpered at the reflection below him before he gasped and growled, seeing that it also had a crown on his head.

"Who is that dog beneath me?! How has he obtained the Imperial Crown of Corginia?!"

Feeling threatened by this apparent doppelganger, Atticus barked at it before Tulip came next to him and reassured him.

"Atticus, that's your reflection."

"Oh. This is terribly embarrassing. I—"

Before Atticus could continue, he began barking again before remembering what Tulip said.

"I just—"

Yet again, Atticus barked at himself before sighing, trying to put the reflection out of his mind.

* * *

Later, Penny skated to what appeared to be a metal building resembling a model home as Bryce, Tulip, Ava, Rexy, Atticus, One-One, and Bailey watched. The building was crooked, leaning to the left. Penny skated near it, leaning a bit to the left herself as she shouted to her mother, much to her concern about how far she was leaning.

"Lookit! I'm a crooked, little house!"

"Be careful you don't lean too far!"

Bryce and Tulip turned to each other, the both of them confused at how overprotective Bailey's starting to get.

"What's gotten into her?"

"Search me."

It got even worse when Penny noticed a large trapezoid to slide on top of.

"Whoa! What is that thing?!

When Penny skated over to it, Bailey was beginning to flip her lid.

"Oh, no! You are not skating there! You get back here this instant!"

Bryce, Tulip, and the others followed behind Bailey as she went after Penny. While they followed her and Penny up on the large trapezoid, Bryce began to have a theory and discussed it with Tulip as Ava, Rexy, Atticus, and One-One got past them.

"Okay, I think I see what's going on here."

"That Bailey is being overprotective?"

"Exactly. But I don't think she's ready to accept that Penny's learned how to take care of herself since then. She needs to learn how to give her some space."

Just then, Bryce heard Penny's voice calling to him.

"Hey, guys! I'm gonna go down this big slide!"

Bryce noticed that Penny was about to slide down the other really long side, and it drove him crazy thinking about what could happen.

"Hey! Don't you slide down on that yet!"

As Bryce rushed over to help Bailey stop Penny, Tulip couldn't help but giggle a bit as she stayed in step. Bryce heard her giggling and became confused.

"Huh? What's so funny?"

"Maybe you should give her some space yourself."

Tulip then ran up quickly on the trapezoid's side, going past him while Bryce took slight offense to what she said, though he smirked at her words.

"Heh. How can I? We're always together."

It didn't take long for Bryce and Tulip to catch up to the group as Bailey kept Penny at bay.

"Come on, mommy! I wanna slide down!"

"You will do no such thing! Do you have any idea how high up we are?! What if you hurt yourself?"

"I can take care of myself just fine, mommy. I'm not gonna get hurt."

"And how am I supposed to trust that when we're up so high?"

To solve that crisis, Bryce began to look down and had an idea. There was obviously no other way down, and they can't stay up there forever.

"She's right. We can't let you slide down on that, Penny."

Penny was convinced it was bad news as she moaned in disappointment before he winked at her and spoke.

"At least, not by yourself."

Bailey became confused as he set himself down on the edge before he tapped on his lap. Penny got the hint to what he meant as she went over to him. However, Bailey's worry for Penny didn't go away as she spoke.

"Uh, Bryce, what are you doing?"

"It's alright, Bailey. I'll be holding onto her the whole way down."

"Yeah. Bryce hasn't let me down before. It'll be okay."

Bryce then looked over to his sister as he spoke.

"You ready, Penny?"

"Ready!"

"Okay. One... two... three!"

With that, Bryce slid down the large trapezoid with Penny in tow as she yelled in excitement due to the adrenaline from the slide down. Soon after, Tulip, Atticus, One-One, Ava, and Rexy followed her as they slid down their own way. Amidst that, though, Bailey was confused. She should be happy that she's safe, and yet... she had a bittersweet taste to go with it.

"Okay, what just happened?"

* * *

Later, One-One leaned left and right, wobbling a bit in the process before he jumped just as Penny stepped in and grabbed him before she gave a grin, making herself appear wobbly as it cane out goofy. Then, Tulip and Bryce joined in, each of them appearing distorted while giving a goofy grin before the group laughed as Rexy, Atticus, Ava, and Bailey looked at theirs in ascending order, though she couldn't help but notice how well they were getting along. She didn't see any danger in playing around with the mirrors' reflection, so she let them be. Still, the more she looked at them being together, the more she began to frown, much to the confusion of Ava, Rexy, and Atticus.

Finally, when they'd finished playing around in the Chrome Car (though Bryce would've preferred to call it the Mirror Car), Tulip found the door and tried to unlock it, only to have no success. It was locked tight, just like the door at the Crystal Car. She gave an exhausted grunt just as Bryce caught up.

"Any luck, Tulip?"

"Yeah, but I guess we're dealing with a locked door, or puzzle, or... Oh, man! Do you guys remember—?"

Before Tulip could finish, she took a look below her, and saw that her reflection wasn't acting as she was. Her reflection's arms were crossed and she had a blank stare towards her.

"Whoa!"

Tulip backed up from seeing this bizarre sight as One-One interjected.

"No, I don't remember, 'whoa!'

"My memory's been terrible ever since... the change."

This piqued Bailey's interest. She hadn't seen One-One change before, if that was even possible.

"Huh? What change?"

"My new haircut. Didn't you notice?"

"Uh, it's pretty hard to notice when I don't see any hair on you."

This only earned a sigh out of Sad One before he spoke.

"There you go again, making me feel inferior..."

That hardly mattered to Tulip compared to her reflection acting differently than how it's supposed to.

"No, look! My reflection isn't moving with me!"

It raised several red flags for Atticus as he growled while Bryce and Bailey were taken by surprise as they spoke at the same time while Rexy was quick to assume one thing that could be responsible for it, only for Ava to disprove it.

"Whoa!"

"Witchcraft!"

"Rexy, there aren't any witches in here. And even if there were, they can't pull that trick off."

As Tulip grew worried about the others' reflections, Bryce looked down at his reflection to be sure it wasn't rebelling against him, either. Sure enough, it wasn't.

"Are your reflections broken, too?"

"Well, mine doesn't look broken."

Suddenly, Tulip's reflection spoke back in response with a slight scowl.

"I'm not broken."

This caught the group by surprise as they backed up while Rexy felt Ava was proven wrong.

"Aha! It is witchcraft!"

Ava only groaned as she maintained her standing.

"Still not witchcraft..."

Tulip was amazed as well, at least until she realized what that meant.

"Whoa! You're alive?! Oh, no. I'm sorry about all the times I picked my nose in front of you..."

This made Bryce surprised as he spoke while her reflection appeared in a shape beside Tulip, standing upright as she put her right pointer finger up.

"Wait, you did what?"

"Not gonna lie. That was gross."

Penny's amazement lasted the longest. Normally, mirrors didn't talk back. But seeing how it's managed to act and speak for itself, Penny wanted to get to know the reflection. She is technically an ally, seeing as she reflects her best friend. She went closer to the shape to interact with the reflection.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you!"

The reflection couldn't help but smile as she responded.

"Aw, it's nice to meet you, too, cutie."

Penny giggled a bit while Tulip tried to find out the answer from her reflection.

"Do you know why I can't open the door?"

"Doors work differently in this car. I have to be the one to open them with you as my reflection."

Having been through a bizarre experience with the tape in the Cat's Car, Tulip and Bryce wanted to be sure nothing bad would happen.

"This isn't gonna suck me into a loop of my own memories, is it?"

"Because I'm telling you now, it's a very bad experience. I should know."

"Relax, Bryce. It's not like that. We place our foot on the ground at the same time in the opposite direction. Then we can cross the barrier into each other's world."

This made Atticus and Bryce suspicious as they spoke.

"I don't know about this world-switching business."

"Yeah, come to think of it, neither do I..."

This made Bailey turn over to Bryce, thinking there was a reason why he was uncertain.

"How come? It looks reliable to me."

"Listen, Bailey. I've had one bad experience too many to know that there's always a catch with something that seems reliable. That's what put me on this train in the first place."

Rexy overheard the conversation and interjected casually.

"It is? I thought it was because you stole money."

Ava gave Rexy a small but strong kick to his leg, making him groan as he spoke.

"That was uncalled for..."

"Well, inappropriate commentary aside, I think Bryce may have a point. Something doesn't seem right about this."

Despite Ava and Bryce's doubts, Tulip's reflection pointed out the one truth they could all agree on.

"Well, if you wanna stay in this car forever, fine by me. But it's gonna get real boring, real quick. Trust me."

Tulip was put in a position to consider the options. She doesn't know if she could be safe when they cross over. But on the other hand, she didn't have any plans to stay. And besides, it was her own reflection, after all. What's the worst that could happen, she figured.

"Hmm. Yeah. We can't just stay here."

With that, Tulip and her reflection prepared themselves as the former walked up and turned to her reflection's direction as she let her know that she was ready before it spoke.

"Okay."

"On three. One, two, three!"

The two of them each took a step, their shoes connecting with each other and creating a ripple in-between them. And then, much like the door's locks themselves, they rotated until Tulip ended up in her reflection's world. Everything appeared a touch darker where she stood now. And the air in the atmosphere was chillier, but not by much.

"Whoa!"

After a quick look around, Tulip looked underneath her to see Bryce, Atticus, Bailey, and the others as the first of the three checked with her.

"You doing okay under there, Tulip?"

"Yeah. It's just... colder?"

This made Ava widen her eyes as she began to ponder about what that means for their own reflections. At the same time, Rexy became curious about it himself.

"Cold air in her world? Hmm..."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, Rexy. But this whole thing... it seems familiar."

All the while, the reflection smiled to herself as she looked at her body. Only it didn't match Tulip's original colors. Her entire body appeared as if it was made out of metal. It was much to Penny's further amazement as she went over to her.

"Wow... you're so shiny!"

The reflection gave her a smile as she gave her a noogie.

"And you're even cuter up here than you were down there."

The reflection turned her attention back to the door as she spoke.

"Heh. Ready to open the door?"

Tulip and her reflection simultaneously moved to the door, each gripping the door's knobs as they counted down.

"One, two, three!"

Tulip and her reflection both twisted the knob to open the door, revealing the next car just waiting in line, as well as the wasteland and the dark atmosphere surrounding it as the reflection began to have a longing look on her face, as well as that of hope.

"Ah...!"

Seeing the result herself, Tulip was amazed that her information was spot-on.

"Wow! Thanks, mirror me! Do we do the same thing to switch back?"

"Oh, that's how we switch back."

The reflection began to walk further away from the door as Bryce began to realize something.

"Then why are you walking away?"

The reflection stopped before turning towards the group with a smirk.

"Because I didn't say I was going to switch back."

This made the whole group gasp before Ava figured out its plan, making Penny concerned.

"Of course you wouldn't! You're trying to steal her place!"

"But why?"

"Think about it, Penny. Her world was colder than ours."

"So?"

"So, everything in the Mirror world is the exact opposite of what they are in ours. And this Tulip must be a swindler."

This made Tulip glare at her reflection as she spoke bitterly.

"I haven't come this far on the train to be bamboozled by my own reflection!"

Despite the situation, One-One didn't see the immediate danger in the reflection's deception as his glad side spoke, peeving Tulip before his sad side interjected.

"Excellent use of 'bamboozled', old Tulip."

"I'm not 'Old Tulip!'"

"'Former Tulip' it is."

Bryce glared back at the reflection as he drew out his cubed sword.

"You think you can trick my friends and get away with it?! FAT CHANCE!"

Bryce lunged at Tulip's reflection, aiming to swing her down to the floor, only for her to grip his sword, making him suspended in midair by her grip before punching him to the ground, knocking him further away as Penny checked on him.

"Bryce! Are you okay?!"

"I don't know... for some reason, she hit like a truck."

The reflection spoke again to the others as she turned her attention on them.

"You can keep calling her Tulip because I'm not her, and I'm not living her life anymore."

The reflection turned towards the original Tulip as she spoke bitterly while taking off her own glasses.

"I don't have to do your stupid coding anymore."

She gave a hard grunt as she crushed them, shattering the lenses before she began taking off her backpack.

"I don't have to eat your stupid onions anymore!"

As the reflection flung the backpack, Atticus ducked to avoid getting hit, though Rexy wasn't as fortunate. He caught her backpack, but the force of it practically crushed him as he groaned before Ava went to help him.

"Rexy! Hold on."

Ava was able to remove the backpack, but Rexy still suffered the consequences of the reflection's throw as he spoke in a daze.

"It's like she threw an anvil..."

The reflection then took off the string holding her hair back before ruffling it up into a long and wild look.

"I'm gonna explore the world on my own! I'm gonna touch a tree, or, like, smell something! What's something that smells good?"

Sad One was more than willing to answer her as he listed several examples that were actually otherwise.

"Let's see. Asphalt, gasoline, sulfur, other petroleum-based products..."

This was something Bryce wasn't willing to accept as he planted his sword on the reflective ground before lifting himself up and drawing it at the reflection again.

"Not that you're gonna find out. Because you're switching back with Tulip, right now!"

The reflection only scoffed at him as she tried to persuade him.

"Come on, Bryce. It doesn't have to be such a bad thing."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

"Because... well, let's face it, Tulip isn't the one for you."

This made him glare at her reflection something fierce as he retorted.

"Who made you judge?!"

"Don't be so surprised. I had to reflect everything she did. She's always ignored everyone in her room. She never asked for help."

This rubbed the original Tulip the wrong way as she retorted.

"I'm not ignoring everyone. I can just handle my problems myself. That's completely different!"

The reflection's glare only became worse as she spoke bitterly, making her feel worse with the examples she gave out.

"Skipping texts from Mikayla? Pretending you couldn't hear Mom because, 'Sorry, I was just so busy making my game!' Just go away, Tulip! That's what you do best!"

While Tulip's face saddened, Bryce glared viciously at her as he spoke with just as much venom.

"I don't care about what problem you have with her. She's the one who matters to me! You? You don't mean anything at all!"

The reflection's face began to sadden from his words as she gasped. A short while later, she began to shed a tear before she became angry and yelled as she and Bryce rushed each other, only for the reflection to overpower him, punching him to the ground again, much to Penny's further worry.

"Bryce!"

Penny tried to go after him, but Bailey stopped her, holding onto her wrist.

"Penny, no! It's too dangerous!"

"But he's getting hurt!"

"If you go out there, you'll get hurt, too!"

Penny looked back to the fighting, seeing Bryce easily overpowered by the reflection as he was kicked in the gut, making him groan in pain while Tulip watched helplessly.

"No! Stop! Please don't hurt him!"

Seeing such a tragedy, Penny closed her eyes as she grunted.

"I... don't... care!"

Penny slipped out of her jacket, surprising her mother as she rushed towards the fighting. And just in time, too. The reflection was about to aim for his face, reeling uncontrollably in rage as she grunted before Penny got in her way and held tightly onto her big brother.

"STOP!"

When the reflection saw Penny step in, it suddenly stopped from attacking, holding her fist just inches from her face. The reflection began to have a stunned and surprised look on her face before irritation showed as Bryce looked on in surprise before the reflection retorted.

"What? Penny?"

"What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

Despite its tone, Penny still held tightly to her brother.

"No!"

Her defiance puzzled the reflection as she began to waver from her tone, but not by much.

"I-I'm serious, kid!"

Penny still persisted in her answer as she began to shed tears, afraid of what could happen if she let go of him.

"My name's not 'kid!' It's Penny! And if you hurt my brother, you'll have to hurt me, too!"

The reflection's face saddened even more as she was reminded yet again about her insignificance. Unlike her, she didn't have a name. For her to bring it up was just as hurtful as what Bryce said to her. Maybe they were brother and sister after all... And like before, she gave into rage. But with Penny involved, she had to be more delicate. Mad as she was, she'd feel even worse beating up a kid. She looked to her hand before grunting and walking away to a nearby shape and sitting near it.

"Whatever! It's not worth the time anyway. But we're still not switching back!"

She then balled herself up as she tried to process what she almost did to a child, and in front of her mother, no less. And her mind also lingered on Bryce's cruel words to her as she shed a small tear while looking at Bryce as he and Penny sat up .

"And I'm not nothing. I'm not..."

This made Bryce feel oddly bad for her. He began to frown himself as he remembered when he made Tulip feel bad after One-One was traded to the Cat. He still couldn't figure out why the car would possibly want him, though. But he digressed. It didn't excuse her for what she did. And he couldn't forgive her for that. As quickly as that feeling came, it went away with a scoff, though Penny expressed her own sympathy.

All the while, Tulip began to take something out of Ava's earlier theory. The Mirror world had the exact opposite of everything in their world. And evidently, the same went for the people. She saw her reflection and found out what she was like. But what about the others?

"Wait a minute. If my reflection's a separate person..."

Tulip took a look from the mirror and saw the mirror selves of her group. They appeared the same as their original selves, but their color was a bit darker in comparison. She couldn't help but gasp as she looked at the reflections.

"Can you guys talk, too?"

One-One's mirror self was the first to speak up before Atticus, Ava, and Rexy's did. The Corgi king's counterpart was incredibly timid unlike his original, and the Ava here appeared to have a furrowed glance. Even Rexy's counterpart was different. His posture seemed more noble (well, as noble as a dinosaur can manage) as his face smiled with a small grin.

"Salutations."

"Um, hi..."

"How you doing?"

"It's nice to meet you."

Tulip looked over to Bryce, Penny, and Bailey's counterparts next and, as expected, they were vastly different. Bryce's appeared more laid back while Penny's was very streetwise. And Bailey's was more confident and daring. She had a furrowed glance while her arms were crossed as he spoke before her.

"How's it hanging?"

"'Sup?'"

"Hello."

Meanwhile, Ava studied the reflections beneath them.

"Interesting. It's not just the environment that's different. It's us, too."

Bailey became confused as she looked over to Ava.

"What do you mean?"

"Our reflections from the mirror world are vastly different from how we usually are. For instance, Tulip's reflection isn't quite so honest. And Atticus' is scared of his own shadow."

On cue, Atticus began to bark at his reflection, making it cower as he spoke before Ava carried on, looking at her more fierce reflection and Rexy's.

"No! Not again!"

"As for me, mine's more of a... well, a brute."

The reflection proved it as she flexed her muscle and spoke.

"Oi! What's it to you?"

"And Rexy's is actually more honest and humble."

To verify her point, Rexy began to interact with his reflection with a grin.

"Wow, you're not looking too bad, good-looking."

"What? Me? No, I can't be. You gotta be talking about someone else."

"No, I'm serious. Don't sell yourself short. You're awesome. And, by extension, I'm awesome."

As a gleam shone on Rexy's teeth, Ava continued on as she looked to Bailey and Bryce's reflections.

"As for Bailey... she doesn't seem too stressed like you seem to be lately. For that matter, the same goes for Bryce's reflection. In fact, he doesn't seem worried at all."

He gave a shrug as he spoke.

"It's true."

Ava then turned her attention to Penny's reflection as she discussed about her.

"And Penny's appears to be a bit scrappy."

This made her crack her knuckles as she spoke tough.

"Did someone order a knuckle sandwich? Because I'm about to make a delivery!"

Seeing it from below, Ava knew her point was made.

"I rest my case."

Hoping to find some help, Tulip spoke to the counterparts, starting with Atticus' reflection.

"Can you guys get me back up to my world?"

"I don't know! It's basically my first day! I've only been reflected in a river before, and he keeps barking at me!"

Atticus barked at him again as Bailey's reflection took notice of Tulip's reflection, along with how sad she appeared. Penny's reflection took notice, too, but she appeared to be confused. It wasn't long before Tulip tried to ask them for help.

"What about you guys? Can you help?"

Penny's mirror self was the first to answer her.

"I don't know... if I help you, I'd be helping your reflection, too. And she didn't do a lot for me to owe her anything. So, I'm kinda on the fence."

This made the original Penny become confused at her behavior as she tried to persuade her.

"So? Why not help her anyway? You know, because it's the right thing to do?"

Penny's reflection only blew a lock of her hair away from her face before giving an indifferent answer.

"Eh."

Bailey's mirror self, however, was a different story.

"Well, I think we should help her get back, no matter what happens."

This made Bryce agree with her whole-heartedly while Penny's mirror self became confused.

"Uh, thank you!"

"But why should we?"

"Because in the time I reflected through my prime, I saw how those Scarecrows kept her in line without any choice at all. And I'll be darned if I let it happen to anyone else."

Penny scratched her head as she recalled what her mother's mirror self said and tried to find out the meaning from her.

"What's a prime?"

"Oh, right. Well, a prime is the person that we reflect. It's kinda our job."

Tulip's reflection didn't seem too eager as she scoffed.

"Yeah. A really stupid one..."

Bryce overheard what she said before turning to Bailey's reflection underneath him.

"Well, how come she isn't doing that?"

"It's... well, it's complicated."

"Oh, really? A reflection that doesn't reflect is trying to take Tulip's place because she thinks she's better than her, even after tricking her to get where she is in the first place. What's so complicated about that?"

Sensing the hostility in his tone, Bryce's mirror self spoke up casually to get him to relax.

"It's alright, man. Everything's gonna be fine."

Bryce's original self found it hard to believe as he looked below and spoke doubtfully.

"Everything looks far from fine right now. How can you be so sure?"

Of course, Ava still hasn't discussed how One-One's reflection worked differently. Bailey knew that as she addressed it to Ava.

"And more importantly, what's One-One's reflection like?"

Sure enough, she had her answer as Mirror One spoke up.

"You won't have to worry. I've already alerted Reflection Enforcement. They'll bring her to justice."

Unfortunately, Tulip's reflection heard this as she spoke up, feeling as though she was betrayed.

"You called the Flecs on me?! You little jerk!"

With that reaction, Ava could already guess how Mirror One worked.

"Apparently, he doesn't care one bit about friendship."

To make matters worse, they had unexpected company. They heard sirens in the distance before a metal police car pulled up underneath Bryce, Penny, Bailey, and the others. Tulip's reflection went into a panic as she gasped before taking off. Bryce saw this and became very worried. If she leaves this car, then Tulip would be stuck in here forever! And there was no chance in this wasteland that he'd ever let it happen.

"Hey! Come back here!"

Bryce took off after her with a huff, not noticing that his mirror self began to follow him while making Penny worried as she saw the angry look in his eyes.

"Bryce, what are you gonna do?"

"I'm getting this reflection back in her world, and I'm getting my Tulip back!"

Tulip overheard what Bryce said and began to fear for him. Her reflection did beat him down twice. Who knows what she'd do to him the third time around?

"Be careful..."

Just then, two ambulance cars arrived next before two sets of two "nurses" came out with a hospital bed for each of them. The nurses placed Mirror Atticus, Mirror One, Mirror Ava, and Mirror Rexy onto the beds before placing a foil cover on them and handing them a cup of hot water each with ice cubes in them before they took a sip while Mirror Atticus blew a bit on it. The nurses then took them into the ambulances before they drove backwards. And then, two doors opened upward before two figures emerged. They appeared similar to robots with silver trench coats and a silver fedora on one of them. Seeing them, Tulip was filled with worry about what could happen to her as one of the figures spoke to her.

"You Tulip Prime?"

"Uh, yes? I-I think... Don't arrest me! She told me we had to switch to open the door!"

However, another figure knew her story already as he took out a toothpick from his mouth.

"No need to explain. Slivers will do anything to get what they want..."

Bailey became confused as she'd never heard that term before, even in her home car.

"Slivers?"

The figure without the fedora knelt down as he spoke to Bailey.

"Cracked reflections. We call them slivers. Get it?"

"Uh, I'm not sure that I do..."

The figure with the fedora couldn't care less about whether or not she understood so much as the job. He walked back to the vehicle as he directed his companion.

"Makes no difference. We're gonna have to go above. So get the skins... and the Sander."

This made his companion become nervous. Apparently, the option seemed too extreme for him. He tried to talk him out of it as he went up to him by the vehicle.

"Whoa! Hey, Mace. Do we really need the Sander for this?"

Mace only retaliated by gripping his coat and pushing him against the vehicle as he spoke darkly.

"You want that little defect running around in the Prime World, Sieve? We keep the barrier intact. You got that?"

"I got it. I got it."

Mace released Sieve as he went to the back of the vehicle while directing his partner.

"Put the Prime in the van."

Sieve sighed from what they have to do before he straightened his coat and went over to Tulip and began to take her with him by the arm, not that she liked it one bit.

"Hey! Stop!"

While she was being taken, One-One, Penny, Bailey, Rexy, Ava, and Atticus followed in worry. Though, the first two and the Corgi king spoke outward to Sieve.

"Ms. Tulip!"

"Let her go!"

"What are you doing with her?"

"She doesn't wanna be around for this."

Bailey wasn't sure she liked the sound of it.

"Around for what? What's going to happen?"

Coincidentally, her question was answered as Mace glared to Tulip while walking towards her.

"If your reflection doesn't turn herself in, we'll find her and polish her down into a pile of nothing."

"A-A pile of nothing?"

This made Tulip become scared. If she gets polished to a pile of nothing, it'd be impossible to switch back. And then, she'd be stuck here forever!

"You can't kill her! I-I just thought she'd go to jail or something!"

Mace wasn't amused with Tulip's plea as he opened the back of the vehicle.

"That's not how it works. If that sliver was doing what she should've been doing, which is reflecting you, that would've been a different story."

Penny remembered how upset she appeared to be after Bailey warded her off. She was upset when Bryce told her she meant nothing. In a way, she was just like him... Scared, afraid, and willing to do anything...

"I'm not nothing. I'm not..."

That's when Penny disagreed with Mace as she shouted at him from her world.

"What's wrong with being different, anyway?!"

This made Bailey become frightened as she tried to stop Penny from putting herself on the spot.

"Penny, now's not the time..."

"She doesn't deserve to be killed just because she wanted to explore the world!"

Mace glared at the girl as he stepped over to her and looked down.

"Then you clearly don't know how it works, girl. That shatter, that sliver is not a person. She exists to reflect your friend's existence, and if she isn't serving that purpose, then we'll make sure she doesn't exist at all."

However, Ava saw a flaw in Mace's point of view as she countered him with her logic.

"And how's our Tulip supposed to get back, then? From the way you've been talking, you want to keep the barrier intact, whatever that is. So how are you going to do that if she's in your world?"

Mace was undeterred by Ava's logic as he glared at her next.

"We'll do what we've always done with Primes that stick their nose where they don't belong: we take them out."

The whole group gasped in shock before Tulip spoke in fear.

"Y-You're gonna kill me, too?!"

Mace had a look of indifference towards Tulip as he spoke.

"The barrier between your world and ours is a sensitive thing, no matter how malleable it is. We can't leave any witnesses."

This made Rexy and Bailey become worried as he spoke to Mace.

"But what about the rest of us?"

"Yeah! I'm her mother, and I didn't know about anything like this before now!"

"Well, the arrogant never do. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now... she has to go. And as for you, you must be setting a terrible example as a mother to come here."

Little did they know that Mirror Penny and Mirror Bailey were hearing every word they said. They both knew exactly what it meant. With the Sander involved, there'd be nothing of them left. The two of them became worried as the Mace turned to Sieve.

"Get this Prime out of my sight."

Sieve began to push Tulip into the van. She tried to get away, but his grip was too strong.

"Hey! You can't do this!"

As the Flecs ignored Tulip's pleas, their van drove away as she shouted.

"No, stop!"

Atticus, One-One, Ava, Rexy, and Penny began to chase after the Flecs, all of them worried that they'd lose Tulip forever.

"Tulip!"

All the while, Mirror Penny was getting anxious about staying any longer.

"Well, I'm outie-5000."

Before she could run, however, Mirror Bailey grabbed her by her hoodie before looking down to her.

"Oh, no. We're not gonna let them hurt her."

"But those guys have the Sander! Do you have any idea what they could do to us?!"

"I don't care. I told you before that I'm not letting their freedom get taken away. You actually think I'd go back on that?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts!"

Seeing no way out of Mirror Bailey's grip, or a way to convince her otherwise, Mirror Penny had to go along with her. Still, that didn't mean she liked the option as she groaned frustratedly.

"Okay."

The two reflections were about to take off when Mirror Bailey took notice of what was happening up above. Although the others went after Tulip, Bailey stayed behind. This confused her as she saw the others chasing after the Flecs and Tulip. Somehow, seeing her like this made her worried. As Mirror Bailey tried to figure out why she'd stand there, Mirror Penny became confused herself.

"What's she doing?"

"I don't know... but don't think you can just ignore what I told you. Get going."

Mirror Bailey then set her down and pushed her along until she ran, shouting as she got farther away.

"Alright, but it's not my fault if I get sanded!"

Mirror Bailey took a look back up at her prime as she sat herself down. A little while after, she began to speak out of self-pity.

"Is all of it true... Am I really that bad... of a mother? I must be..."

However, a voice beneath her told her differently.

"No, Bailey. You're not a bad mother."

Bailey opened her eyes to see her reflection looking at her from her world. She wasn't quite in the mood to talk after what Mace told her. It all fit how she treated Penny so far. She abandoned her when she was just a baby, she put her in danger, and worse yet, she made her the Flecs' target. Seeing her was the last thing she wanted.

"Oh. It's you..."

"Why aren't you helping them?"

"Because... there's nothing I can help with. Penny grew up so much without me around. For all I know, Tulip and Bryce might be her real family, not me. Besides, I spent so much time at the Paradise Car, and under the Scarecrows' thumb. After I betrayed her... does she even need me in her life?"

"Don't say that. Of course she needs you."

"Really? Name one thing she needs me for."

Mirror Bailey crouched down as she pointed it out.

"Look, you are useful. And I'm not just talking about the knowhow you've picked up in the past. She still wants to know about you and Aiden. She wants to know how much she means to you."

Despite her reflection's words, Bailey still had her doubts as she held her head down.

"Of course she means everything to me. But... I don't think I mean anything to her at this point..."

"OF COURSE YOU DO!"

Her sudden change in tone made Bailey gasp before she spoke to her.

"Didn't you see how happy she was when you saw each other for the first time? Didn't you see how much she wanted you alive? How can you think she doesn't care about you after all that? She loves you just as much as she loves Tulip and Bryce. And she needs you. Just like you needed her..."

As her reflection listed those examples, she began to recall those first memories of her now-grown daughter. And looking through them, she began to shed tears as her words echoed in her mind.

"You told me that you'd keep fighting to live! Don't you dare stop now!"

Bailey wiped her tears away as she then put on a look of determination.

"You're right. She didn't give up on me. I can't give up on myself now."

As her reflection smiled, Bailey couldn't help but wonder how she'd feel about her own job. Tulip's own reflection didn't seem too happy about that.

"Wait. Are you... really happy with just reflecting me all the time?"

Mirror Bailey put up a shrug as she responded before smiling gently.

"Eh. I'm mostly okay with it. But the fact that you care proves that they need you."

Bailey returned the smile as she turned her attention back to the group running in front of her.

Meanwhile, Tulip was still stuck in the van as Atticus, One-One, Penny, Bailey, Ava, and Rexy chased after her in their world.

"No...!"

And it wasn't the only thing she noticed. Along with them chasing after her, she saw someone else being chased. It was her reflection being chased by Bryce, and apparently, his own reflection is helping him.

"Hey. That's Bryce. He's trying to stop her. I have to help him!"

Tulip then took notice of a door handle beneath the van's back door. She tried to open it, but had no success. Fortunately, there was a lock. This meant that there was a way out. Tulip got out her multitool and got out a small screwdriver before fitting it into the lock and twisting it open. In the front of the car, Sieve heard a noise behind him. He wanted to know what was happening in the back, so he moved up the window separating the front and back of the car to see Tulip getting ready to jump out. This made him turn to his partner in surprise as he spoke.

"The Prime unlocked the door!"

"What?"

By the time Mace braked the van, it was already too late. Tulip had already gotten out, and the others caught up just in time. She appreciated the timing, but speaking of time, she needed to find Bryce and her reflection before she goes out and she gets trapped here forever, or worse.

"Stay here and keep him distracted. I'll find Bryce and my reflection."

Tulip then ran off in the direction where she saw Bryce and her reflection go to. Sieve unbuckled his seat belt and planned to chase after them, but Mace didn't think it necessary as he gave a sigh.

"Stop. That sliver just doesn't know the rules yet. Suit up."

Sieve and Mace got out of the van before they took off their coats and opened a compartment on the side of the van that held gloves and human-shaped masks. Mace opened up the case to them before steam came out, and he and Sieve put on the various articles, though not without removing their helmets, revealing a small metal ball with a mouth with which he put the mask over it and cracked his "neck" before picking up the Sander and turning it on. After getting the necessary gear, Sieve and Mace looked down to see resistance in the form of Atticus, One-One, Rexy, Ava, and Penny as the Corgi king and Glad One spoke.

"Remain where you are, gentlemen. I am a pacifist by nature, but a warrior by necessity."

"I'm a robot."

Mace looked down to the others beside Atticus and One-One with a smirk as he spoke.

"And let me guess. Two children and a dinosaur."

Rexy scowled back at Mace, holding his claws out.

"That's Rexy the Wrecker, to you. Remember that when you go into my world."

In that moment, Mirror Penny and Bailey caught up to the others just in time before the latter spoke up first.

"And you forgot to count me in!"

"For the record, I'm not here because I wanna be!"

Penny looked behind her to see her mother a few feet behind her.

"Huh? Mommy? And Mirror me?"

Seeing the two arrive, Mace only scoffed at Bailey.

"Hmph. You're really just dead-set on being a terrible mother, aren't you? Starting a fight with the authorities..."

Penny glared at them and spoke viciously towards him.

"She's not a terrible mom—!"

Before Penny could finish, Bailey placed her hand on her shoulder, making her stop her sentence as she looked up to her before she countered him.

"No. The only thing that would make me a terrible mother is if I abandon my daughter. Well, guess what? That's not gonna happen!"

Mace growled at her before he spoke bitterly.

"Fine. Have it your way."

With that, he and Sieve crouched to the ground and places their heads and hands on the floor, trying to squeeze through it as the barrier itself proved to be malleable like Mace said while Atticus barked at them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bryce was still chasing after Tulip's reflection. He'd been following her since she took off. If she didn't know any better, he was just as relentless as the Flecs. She knew she could take him; heck, she did it twice in a row. And yet... somehow, the fact that he's running after her scared her. The reflection looked up ahead and saw an obtuse shape.

Hoping it would give her enough time to hide, the reflection sped up on running before hiding behind it just as Bryce passed her. This gave her some time to catch her breath, at least. But the rate that's going, it's only a matter of time before he found her again. She could always knock him down, but as demonstrated earlier, he'd get back up and go after her all over again.

"Darn it... why can't he leave me alone? I mean, I know I tricked her, but still..."

Suddenly, a cubed sword swung at the reflection and hit the shape, making her exclaim in surprise before Bryce leaped at her and pinned her to the ground with a vicious glare.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Switch back with Tulip, NOW!"

"And let those Flecs get me?! No way! Do you have any idea what they'd do to me?!"

"I couldn't care less what happens to you! Not after what you did!"

The reflection have a deep inhale before headbutt it him, making him groan in pain as he let her go, and she ran away again, much to his anger.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU THIEF!"

This only earned a sigh from his mirror self beneath him.

"Pretty ironic, considering you're the thief."

Bryce was in no mood to hear what he had to say as he looked down at him.

"Shut up! Nobody asked you!"

"Whoa, man. Just calm down."

"Calm down?! How can I calm down when my best friend is going to be stuck here forever?!"

His mirror self didn't see any reason for him to be angry as he spoke.

"Relax, Bryce. She can't go anywhere even if she wanted to. The reflection, I mean."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"There aren't any reflective surfaces outside of the train. When a reflection crosses over, they'd only go as far as the reflective surfaces can go. Which, in this case, would be this car."

Hearing that rule, Bryce began to simmer down some. If she can't go anywhere, then his Tulip would be able to get back.

"Oh. Right. So how do we make them switch back?"

"Well, that's up to them, mainly the reflection. And after the way you've been talking to her lately, that's gonna be difficult."

This made Bryce blush madly, feeling embarrassed for all that he said to her. To compensate for it, he began to vent his frustrations.

"Well, h-how was I supposed to know that?! How was I supposed to know that her reflection can't leave without Tulip?! I really thought she'd be trapped here forever! A-And she said all those terrible things about her! Maybe they were true, but she's been better than that for some time, so she didn't have a right to say any of that crap! What did you expect me to say?!"

Bryce's reflection had a stunted look as he whistled.

"Whoa. That's a lot to unpack there. Listen, you gotta lay off on her."

"Yeah? And why should I?"

"Didn't she tell you why she did what she did? Everything happens for a reason."

"Yeah. I know that much. And her reason is that she's a complete scumbag..."

Bryce's reflection scowled at him as he spoke back.

"That's not it at all! How did she look when she sat by herself? When you told her she didn't mean anything?"

While being scolded, Bryce remembered the sad look on her face with a tear coming out of it when her just told her off. And then, he recalled that same sadness when she sat by herself. This made Bryce's guilt return as he held his head down sadly.

"Oh, boy... it's like telling her the truth all over again."

"It should be. You were just trying to help your parents, but you did bad stuff to do it, too. What do you think she tricked Tulip for?"

Bryce looked to where Tulip's reflection had taken off as her voice echoed.

"I'm gonna explore the world on my own!"

Bryce gave a deep sigh before he answered.

"I can think of one idea."

"Then find her and talk to her. Maybe you'll understand more when you let her explain."

Bryce nodded to his reflection before he stood up and walked away, only for his reflection to speak up again.

"Oh. And Bryce?"

"Yeah?"

"You should stop worrying so much. Have a little faith in your friends."

Considering what happened to his parents, it was a lot to ask from him.

"What? Have faith? How? The last time I had faith, my parents ended up—"

"Hey. So what if they get hurt? They can take care of themselves as easily as you take care of them. Especially Tulip."

Just as he said this, Bryce's reflection took notice of Tulip running ahead, much to his wonder as he spoke.

"Oh, speak of the devil."

As Tulip caught up, Bryce went over to intercept her.

"Huh? Tulip?"

"We... we can't let them get her."

This made Bryce confused. Weren't they supposed to be the police?

"Who? You mean that mirror police? Why? What's going on since I left?"

"If they catch her, they'll turn her into a pile of nothing! And I'll be trapped here!"

Bryce widened his eyes from hearing this. Turning her into a pile of nothing would be bad for the both of them. If there's no reflection, Tulip can't go back. Then, he recalled what Tulip's reflection told him.

"Do you any idea what they'd do to me?!"

"Oh. That's why she didn't want to go back. She's trying to get away from them."

"Yeah. But if she leaves, I can't go back!"

Bryce looked to the ground beneath him and saw his mirror self smiling at him before giving a thumbs-up. He then looked back to Tulip with a smile of his own as he spoke.

"Actually, we don't have to worry about that. Come on."

Bryce and Tulip both began to run towards the door that they came from to get in the car. As they ran, Tulip wondered why Bryce seemed so sure about it. He of all people knew the risks if they failed. So why would he smile at a time like this?

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

It wasn't long after they'd passed several shapes with Tulip phasing in and out of them that they noticed Tulip's reflection looking out of the door. It was all the more concerning for Tulip, knowing what could happen if she ran away. She was the first to run towards her, sliding to a stop on her knees as she pleaded to her while Bryce walked up, to which she became anxious about.

"Stop! You can't leave me trapped here!"

Her reflection glanced over to the other side as she spoke softly.

"If it means I get to be free... heh. Then I'm doing it."

Bryce stepped up to the reflection, trying his best not to be angry with her as he tried to tell her the truth, though it only succeeded in angering Tulip's reflection.

"She's right, though. You can't leave her trapped here, even if you wanted to."

This confused Tulip while her reflection retorted back at him.

"Huh?"

"Yeah?! And why's that, huh?! Because you think you can stop me?! Because you think I'm nothing?!"

"No! It's not like that at all! You literally can't leave!"

"Well, I can! I'll show you that I'm not nothing!"

Tulip's reflection took a step towards the door outside. The first step was successful. But when she tried to take her second step, her foot couldn't move. It was almost as though it was stuck like glue. When it couldn't move, Mirror Tulip picked up her leg and tried to pull her foot out, but even that failed. She desperately tried to run out of the room, but only ended up tripping. All she could do then was crawl in vain as she grunted and tears began to escape from her here's as a dark grey blush came over her cheeks. With nothing else to do, she picked up a nearby jelly bean and hid it in her hand as she sniffled and sat by herself while Bryce spoke softly, feeling sorry for the reflection.

"I tried to tell you before..."

"Shut up. Don't talk to me..."

Bryce only took a deep breath before he sat down while Tulip was feeling just as bad for her while Bryce's reflection explained what'd happened just then.

"She... she couldn't leave."

"Them's the rules. A reflection can only go as far as the mirror takes them. No matter what world you're in..."

As sad as she felt for her reflection, she couldn't understand why she had to trick her to go this far. They were the same person weren't they? Hoping to understand her, Tulip tried to find out as she reflected into a shape next to her. At the same time, her reflection looked out at the world before looking to the jelly bean in her palm.

"All that work... just for this?"

Just then, she heard a tap next to her before turning to see Tulip.

"Hey. I can help you if you talk to me."

"Pfft. That's funny, coming from you."

Tulip then remembered what her reflection said about her. Those things made Bryce mad at her, but she knew it was all true. She can't exactly speak out against it. Still, that wouldn't stop her from trying to understand.

"Yeah. I know... You're right. I don't like asking for help when I have a problem. I guess I should... But that only proves you should be talking to me now. Like, why did you trick me? You're supposed to be my reflection, aren't you?"

There was a moment of silence, a moment which Bryce took advantage of as he lifted his head up to the both of them before she began to reply.

"You wanna know why? Why I tricked you? It's because I'm sick of being you. I'm sick of being a spoiled, stupid, untrustworthy, selfish brat who doesn't care about anyone but herself!"

This made Bryce blush beet red of embarrassment as he remembered those exact words.

"Oh. You remember that..."

"OF COURSE I REMEMBER! I had to reflect everything! Everything she ever did, everything she said, all of it! But I didn't want to! I WANTED MY OWN LIFE!"

There was a brief moment of silence as she took her breath and sniffled with tears in her eyes as she finally spoke again.

"I wanted to be free. That's all I wanted..."

While her reflection sniffled, Bryce say still for a moment as Tulip expressed her own sympathy.

"I had no idea..."

However, Bryce didn't seem to care as he glared at her with a small scowl.

"That's no excuse."

This made both Tulip's turn to him in surprise while Bryce's own reflection became nervous about what he'd do to her.

"What?"

"Uh, Bryce? Remember what we talked about."

Bryce paid money heed to his reflection as he talked down to Tulip's, maintaining his own scowl.

"I know who you are. You can fool everyone else, but not me. It doesn't change the fact that you traded Tulip's freedom for yours. It doesn't change anything!"

Seeing Bryce becoming vicious towards her reflection, who began to get admittedly scared of him, Tulip tried to stop him.

"Stop it, Bryce. She's had enough."

Bryce didn't seem to have heard Tulip as he gripped her reflection and slammed her against the shape, causing it to crack a bit, making Tulip anxious as she backed up a few feet.

"You tricked my best friend and trapped her here without even showing that you cared about what happened to her! If that's your idea of freedom, then you can just kiss it goodbye!"

This made her reflection become just as angry but her sadness was dominant at this point. After all that he'd been told, he still wanted to get rid of her. How heartless could he be?!

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!"

"Just like I had to kiss my parents goodbye after I stole from the bank! I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BECAUSE YOU'RE ME!"

This sparked a great deal of confusion for both Tulips and Bryce's own reflection as they replied simultaneously.

"What?"

Bryce realized how confusing this was and tried to correct himself as he lowered Tulip's reflection a bit, but he still held onto her.

"What I mean is... we're more alike than you think. We didn't care about the consequences when it came to what we wanted. I just wanted to help my parents recover again... and you just wanted to be free. We were both desperate. Desperate enough to do anything... When I told my friends the truth, they weren't happy with it because it was wrong."

"Yeah. I remember that... Tulip told you to go away. But she came back..."

Bryce took a deep breath, remembering how happy Tulip made him feel in Osore's car as he lowered his tense grip into a gentle feel as he eased them into her shoulders.

"Yeah... Listen. I'm sorry about what I said to you. From then up until now. But you had to know I wouldn't be happy with what you did. Nobody was happy about what I did, that's for sure. But trust me when I say that you're not a bad person. Everyone makes mistakes, and yes, they can hurt people. But I know you can learn from them, like I am. The last thing we want is for those Mirror Police to hurt you."

Tulip's reflection forced his arms away, believing there wasn't any hope for her.

"Who cares what they do to me?! I can't step outside! There aren't any reflective surfaces out there! I don't even have a name... not like you or Penny do. It's like you said, Bryce. I'm still nothing. I'm nothing at all..."

Bryce shook his head as he corrected her.

"No. You're someone. The only reason I ever told you otherwise was because I was scared. I didn't want to live a life without Tulip. She's the whole reason I'm piecing myself back together, and why I want to make things right. Because to me, a life without her... is a life without freedom."

This made the original Tulip become touched by his words as Bryce looked to her and smiled before she smiled back and he looked back to Tulip's Reflection, recalling Tulip's mirror in her multitool. Coincidentally, Tulip had the same idea as she knew from Bryce's mirror self that her reflection needed a reflective surface to get free.

"That being said, I don't want you to end up alone here, or worse. We'll help you get your freedom and Tulip's."

"But... how?"

Tulip replied to her as she placed her hand on the shape.

"If we switch back, I think I can get you a new mirror."

This wasn't an easy decision for Tulip's reflection. On one hand, she didn't know if it could work, but on the other, she wouldn't have anywhere else to go. So if she was to get sanded, she might be sanded trying to win her freedom rather than by sulking. Tulip and her reflection placed their hands in the same spot as a ripple came in between their palms.

* * *

Later, Tulip and Bryce were running to the door in their world while their reflections followed just underneath them. In front of them, Sieve and Mace were partly dissolved, melting dark grey liquid through their suits in the Prime World as Atticus and Rexy were biting and clawing on Sieve's one hand while Ava and Penny were pulling on his other hand. As for the faces, One-One's glad side had Sieve's while Sad One held Mace's at bay. And Bailey was pulling on his right hand, causing the liquid to seep out while her and Penny's reflections were pulling on Mace's and Sieve's legs to keep them at bay before One-One took notice.

"Hello, Ms. Tulip and Mr. Bryce! We're melting, people!"

"So, what's new with you?"

Neither Tulip nor Bryce answered as they and their reflections went past the Flecs, with Mace getting worried about their prey getting away.

"There goes the Sliver!"

While going past the Flecs, Tulip picked up both sides of One-One from their heads while everyone tagged along, though Mirror Penny and Mirror Bailey stayed behind as Tulip, Bryce, and Penny spoke.

"We gotta go!"

"We have a plan!"

"Got it!"

As Penny went with Tulip, Bryce, and the others, Mirror Penny became anxious, turning to Mirror Bailey.

"You sure I can't go with them?!"

"Not yet! Keep them there!"

Despite their resistance, Mace knew they had to corner Tulip's reflection before she ever got out.

"Sieve, you stay here in the Prime World. I'm going after that Sliver."

As Mace went back to his world, Sieve knew he was breaking protocol.

"The Buddy System! The Buddy System!"

Mace ignored his warning and went back before pulling the mask off and kicking away Mirror Bailey before he engaged pursuit while Mirror Penny's hands slipped through Sieve's legs as he engaged his own pursuit.

"Aw, geez."

Mirror Penny and Mirror Bailey recovered as they saw the Flecs going away before the former spoke in a tough tone.

"Yeah, that's right! You better run!"

Meanwhile, Tulip and Bryce were running with their reflections beneath them as she turned to One-One.

"One-One, my multitool!"

In compliance, he popped it into the air before the multitool landed on her hand. While they ran, though, none of them noticed that Sieve was right behind them. Fortunately, Rexy took notice as he shouted at him.

"Hey! You want another piece of me?! I'll let you have it!"

Rexy pounced quickly on Sieve while Tulip and Bryce ran with their reflections in tow as she spoke to hers.

"Okay! Ready?"

"Ready!"

With that, Tulip and her reflection slid simultaneously while Penny ran all the way to the door with Bailey and Ava waiting for her as Tulip held the mirror end of the multitool in front of her.

"Now! You're your own reflection!"

_**Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Last Goodbye"**_

Suddenly, they heard a whirring from in front of them. It was Mace, holding his sander at the ready as he took his own toothpick and ground it into nothing, making her reflection gasp at the idea of what could happen to her. Bryce's mirror self then stood in front of Mace while his prime stood with his back to him in his world before he looked to his reflection.

"Switch me down there!"

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it!"

"Okay..."

Though quite unsure, Bryce's reflection switched with his prime, putting him in the Mirror world and in front of Mace as he ran at him before he engaged him, using his cubed sword to hold the sander at bay. But when he did, the noise of grinding could ensued as it practically began to push against his sword, though the sword itself was immovable. While Bryce struggled, Mace smirked at him.

"Did you really think you could get your little Sliver friend out alive?"

Bryce smirked back at Mace despite his struggling as he answered.

"I don't have to. That's up to her."

Mace looked past Bryce's head in confusion before noticing Tulip helping her reflection with her multitool as she placed it on the barrier, angering him as he shouted.

"NO!"

Without hesitation, Mace slid his sander on the sword, thinning it down while forcing Bryce to move his head back at the same time. But in the process, it scratched him just below his left cheek diagonally, spilling blood from his wound as Penny shouted for him.

"Bryce!"

Coincidentally, the drops turned solid and clattered on the floor, confusing Bryce on that process.

"Huh? What the...?"

At the same time, he took notice of Mace rushing at Tulip's reflection as he spoke under his breath.

"Come on, Tulip..."

In that moment, Tulip took advantage of the time Bryce gave him as she spoke to her reflection.

"Hold on!"

Desperate to avoid the sander, her reflection placed her foot on the multitool, causing a ripple between the barrier before she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst with tears in her eyes. As she went past the barrier, Mace leapt at her, only for his sander to get the long length of her hair before bouncing away with a thud. Her reflection opened her eyes in surprise as she felt the warm air against her steel skin.

"I'm out."

Though, at the same time, she was being held up by Tulip holding onto her feet as she grunted before speaking.

"Okay! Time to stand on your own two feet, please!"

_**End Chrome Canyon Music: "Last Goodbye"**_

While Tulip helped set her reflection down, Bryce switched back with his own before Bryce felt a stinging sensation on his face, forcing him to cradle his left cheek with a wince before turning to the others and checking with Tulip.

"Geez... You guys okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for helping us."

Bryce gave a slight scoff with a smile as he replied.

"I wasn't helping. I was just giving you guys some time."

Just then, Bryce noticed Rexy and Atticus getting at Sieve's hand as he panicked.

"Get him off me!"

Unfortunately, Mace didn't hear his plea. Atticus tore out Sieve's glove, revealing the liquid as it dropped to the barrier before he and Rexy ran away while Ava shouted for the others before Rexy responded.

"Hurry, you guys!"

"No need to tell me twice!"

While the others left, Mace ran towards the exit door before sliding onto the floor with his knees while Sieve struggled to get to it from the Prime World while Mace berated him.

"You let a Sliver out into the Prime World!"

"Get back here!"

Sieve tried to exit, but his "hand" kept him from leaving. Mirror Tulip took advantage of it as she got out the small jelly bean she had from her last attempt to escape before holding it in front of Sieve from her view and flicking it onto his forehead, making him grunt before that same bean fell to the floor in front of Mace, making him yell in vicious anger as Mirror Tulip laughed before running with the others. After that, she never stopped running, or looked behind her, until they got to the next car in line and closed the door on the Flecs, hopefully forever.

The group took this moment then to catch their breath after the ordeal. While they did, Tulip turned around to see a bunch of pencil people in a bank turning around to see them before Tulip tried to apologize to them for their intrusion.

"Sorry, everyone."

Fortunately, it wasn't long before they all went back to their usual business as Tulip sighed. However, that didn't mean everyone went away unscathed. She heard a groan from Bryce before turning to see him holding onto his face gently. Mace must've got him pretty good when Bryce tried to stall him. It made her feel worried about what she would see under the hand.

"Bryce! Are you okay?"

"Well, considering I almost got my face sanded off... pretty good, actually."

"Let me take a look."

Tulip moved Bryce's hand away to see a cut where Mace tried to sand him. And it was bleeding. This made her worried as she and One-One looked closely with the sad side speaking with her.

"Oh, no... that Mirror Cop got to you, didn't he?"

"It's official. He's a goner..."

"It'll be okay, Tulip. I'm—"

Before he could finish, he groaned again, wincing as Penny, Mirror Tulip, Ava, Rexy, and Atticus went up to Tulip.

"What happened?"

"Bryce just got a cut on his face. Quick! Does anyone have a bandage or something?"

Just then, Bailey stepped up to help as she got close to Bailey.

"I got it."

After setting down her sling pack, Bailey got out a cloth and examined Bryce by his cheek, seeing the cut Mace made on his face.

"Oh, my. I better clean that up, or it'll get infected. Just hold still, okay?"

Bailey then got a bottle of water and placed the cloth on it all bundled up. Then, she did a quick flip to put the water on the cloth and then back before wiping the wound a bit with the cloth to clean the wound. Then, she got out a small white bandage before undoing the seals and placing it smoothly on Bryce's fresh cut and gently rubbing it, making him look to her with confusion before she smiled.

"That should heal your cut for now. Just try not to get hurt so much."

As Penny took a look at the little bandage on Bryce's face and felt it on her hand, he began to smile as he spoke to Bailey.

"No way. You had a first aid kit packed up?"

"Of course. It was the first thing I packed in case something like this happened. And it's a good thing I did."

Penny smiled to her mother before she hugged her tightly.

"That's so cool, mommy! You're the best mom ever!"

Bailey was initially surprised by her hug, due to how sudden it was, but she welcomed it as she rubbed her head gently.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie."

While Penny giggled, Mirror Tulip took a look at the car with wonder while Tulip felt it wasn't as nice a sight as she must've hoped.

"Oh, man..."

"Ah, yeah. This is such a boring car to see first."

However, her change in mood said otherwise.

"Are you kidding? This is so cool! Do you think they'll let me open an account? Will I get a checkbook?"

The reflection took a look at the environment around her and couldn't contain her excitement.

"Look! Oh, it's those little little pens on chains! I used to get so motion-sick when I had to reflect in these!"

Mirror Tulip then remembered the multitool her prime had to use in order to free her. She looked under her boot and saw it stuck to her. Tulip had an easy fix for it as she went over to her while her reflection moved up the multitool to her sleeve.

"Here."

Tulip took the multitool and removed a piece of it for it to stick on her reflection. It provided a very thin mirror for her.

"Now no one can keep you trapped ever again."

"Heh. Thanks, Tulip."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help you."

Rexy took the opportunity to speak up as he looked to the reflection.

"So, wanna come with us? There's room for one more."

In light of what she experienced, Mirror Tulip made a smirk as she declined.

"Nah. Hard pass."

This made Penny worried for her as she spoke to her with concern.

"But why? If you come with us, you could leave the train, too. And then those bad guys won't chase you anymore."

Mirror Tulip gave a gentle smile to her and knelt down before rubbing her head as she explained her answer.

"Aw. I appreciate your concern. But I spent my whole existence reflecting Tulip's life. I'm going my own way now."

Bryce gave a sigh as he shook his head.

"Well, I guess there's no changing your mind. Then, at least promise me one thing. Promise me that you'd never hurt anyone in any way for your own gain. Got that?"

Bryce held his hand out for her to shake. Mirror Tulip considered for a moment before she agreed to it.

"Okay."

As she shook Bryce's hand, she noticed the glove on his hand and Tulip's. She was reflecting her while she wore a glove. But now that she's free, she didn't see the point in having it.

"I don't need this glove."

Mirror Tulip took out her glove and looked at her hand to see a reflection of herself, even as she turned her hand before turning to Tulip and Bryce.

"And you guys don't either. Who cares what the train thinks? Only you control your life."

Bailey couldn't help but smile at those words of advice as she looked to Mirror Tulip.

"Thanks. We'll be sure to remember that."

She then turned her attention to Tulip and Bryce and spoke to them as they smiled back at her before she replied back.

"Good luck, you guys."

"Good luck, Mirror... well, good luck to you, whoever you turn out to be."

* * *

Outside the car, the door opened before the group went outside as Rexy looked to Ava.

"Boy, that was one crazy adventure, huh? That's the last time I look into a mirror for a while."

This made Bailey remember the times Ava pointed out the key factors in the Mirror World.

"Hey... speaking of mirrors, how did you know so much about that world, Ava? You haven't been there before, have you?"

"No. Not really. But I did read about a book that reminds me of that situation. I grew up with it, actually."

"Oh. Is it a book that tells you about that car? Because it would've been really helpful earlier."

This made Ava blush as she tried not to get mad before she spoke with a sigh.

"It's complicated."

Meanwhile, Tulip and Bryce were contemplating Mirror Tulip's words as they looked at the gloves on their hands, one of which was backwards on Bryce's hand. They looked to each other before Tulip asked her.

"Well... should we?"

"I don't know about you. But I'm not gonna let some number scare me anymore."

As Tulip looked back at her glove, she recalled how Chain used that fear to her advantage and nearly made her a puppet before she scowled.

"Yeah. Me neither."

"Right. We pull on three."

Tulip then took hold of Bryce's glove while he took hold of hers before he started the countdown with Tulip counting next before they shouted simultaneously.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

The three of them pulled off the gloves to see their numbers rapidly changing. When they stopped, they noticed a remarkable change of pace from the last time they saw their numbers. For Tulip's th was a number "3", and for Bryce, a number "7". The two of them stared at their numbers in awe, unaware that the cat was watching from on top of the car behind them with a lens in her collar.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark room with a hall of green lights at the end of it, as well as a computer on a desk, the giant robotic figure took notice of the change in development as Osore and Night Shroud were beside it. Though, Osore was shown to be more angry as he snarled before the robot spoke.

"Patience, Osore. The girl will arrive at our doorstep soon enough."

"It's not that I'm worried about. They tampered with the work I've done in that so-called Paradise Car. They weren't supposed to repair it...!"

"We will address this issue once we deal with those brats. With the cat tracking them down, it'll be fairly easy."

Then, it was Night Shroud's turn to speak through her mask.

"Why don't we just save ourselves the trouble and get rid of the cat? We obviously know where they are, so there's no point in letting her live."

"Agreed. But I told you before she still has a use. And if we use her right, that little ball won't be able to bother us again."

This made Night Shroud a bit hesitant as she looked closer at the ball. She appeared as if it mattered to her. The giant robot saw that as it spoke to her.

"Is there a problem, Night Shroud?"

Night Shroud turned to the robot before she retorted.

"The only reason I ever signed up for this was to take out Bryce for what he did to me. What's the point if you can't even let me?!"

The robot only stared at her as it spoke coldly.

"You watch your tongue."

It then sent a signal that summoned the Stewardess as it shot out one of its tentacles at her, hitting her in the mask and breaking it apart as it clattered to the floor for the green light at the hall to shine upon before it spoke.

"You will have your chance, Night Shroud. But only if you cooperate. Until then, you will wait for him precisely where your dark story began."

The robot then pushed a button on the computer to summon a train, with which the monitor showed it as it then made its journey up to the front while she spoke.

"Assuming it all goes as planned, it is there where his own story will end, as will your nightmare... What could be a more fitting vengeance than that?"

With the mask broken, the voice began to sound increasingly familiar as she removed her hood, revealing her long, orange hair as a thud came outside the hall and she spoke to them.

"I never did it for you. The only reason I'm doing this is so that when I get rid of him and you get the life you want..."

Night Shroud then opened the door to see another door that led to a blank landscape with what appeared to be a portal inside it before she turned around to see the robot, revealing that her face held black glasses over her eyes. She appeared very identical to the person they needed to take care of. And her glare didn't change as she looked at the robot.

"...you'll stay out of mine."

Then, Night Shroud walked outside of the hall towards the portal before the door closed. After which, the robot then put the focus towards the monitor as it spoke to Osore.

"And while our young friend lies in wait, you and I will coordinate an ambush and end their march once and for all..."

Osore then smiled to the robot before he stepped into the shadows.

"I'm looking forward to it already, my conductor..."

With Osore having vanished to the shadows, the Conductor looked back at the monitor and saw Ava talking with Bailey and Rexy as she spoke while the footage was on loop.

"I did read about a book that reminds me of that situation. I grew up with it, actually."

This made the conductor gasp as she began to pull the footage closer until she saw her face. It recognized the face all too well.

"Ava... look how you've grown."

* * *

**A/N: Dun-dun-dunnnn! What did you think? Pretty good twists, right? And about the music, I heard it from online. It seemed to be the music for Book 3, but I can't say for sure. Although, it does help make a fitting moment. Anyway, this is where Act II ends and where the final act begins. I honestly don't know how long it'll be until I post the next chapter, The Matchmaking Car, but you can bet that when I do, it'll be the most romantic chapter ever. Well, apart from the lemon I'll add in shortly after, but as I said, that's for the older readers. Until then, I hope you all have a good day. :)**


	17. The Matchmaking Car

**A/N: Hello. :) I'm back at it again. Sorry it took so long, but I had to watch Book Three of Infinity Train to determine where my story could go after Emma's Story. And after that finale, let's just say I'm conflicted. On one hand, I felt that Simon got what he deserved, but on the other, I felt he deserved better. That's just how well-written he is. But you can expect a darker turn in my version of Book Three: "The Apex Predator". It may be a long while before I get it off the ground, though, as I have to take care of the rest of the books. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter I set up. It may not be what some of you had in mind, but I feel this to be a "calm before the storm" type of episode, in which case the storm will be The Ball Pit Car. And that particular chapter will hit HARD. Trust me.**

**Act III - Chapter XVI: **The Matchmaking Car

It was one crazy ride after another. They've been through who knows how many cars in the past 4 and a half months. And after all that, their numbers got as close to zero as they could get. From what EVE told them, their numbers are the key to getting back home. And if the cat was to be believed, it was because the train thought they were doing well. And it was from that information that they realized what the Train took them here for. They were here because they needed to be.

The train's whole purpose was to make one reflect on their problems and to encourage them to fix it. Apparently, if they do just that, their numbers would go down. But they never got to know what could happen if they did the opposite. Curious as they were, though, they decided it best not to tempt fate. But the one thing they couldn't figure out for sure was what happens when it gets to zero. For now, the only one who'd know the answer for sure is the Conductor.

Like Tulip's logic stated, every train had one. And considering how far the train itself is, it may very well take a hundred times the 4-and-a-half months they traveled. But for now, they're still going forward, like they've always done. But it's hard not to look back on what they've done to get where they are, especially more so with their most recent car. Tulip and the others were exiting the car that held wedding cakes as far as the eye could see as Bryce looked at his phone. Though, he took a bit of time to look up to Bailey as it was her knowhow that helped charge up his phone despite the lack of his charger.

"Thanks for charging my phone up, Bailey. I was wondering how to do that in this train."

"No problem. I'm just surprised Tulip's hasn't gone dead yet."

Bryce didn't find it too easy to know how. She'd kept it turned off since she got on this train until she got Bobby's number. Thinking back on it, he wondered if she got the chance to talk to him. He wanted to ask that, but it seemed to be intrusive. After putting out the thought of it, Bryce looked back to his phone.

He was looking through the photos he'd taken since he got in this car, by Bailey's recommendation, that is. She's been out of her life for six years, so Bailey figured it was time to make memories; and boy did they make them. In the picture where Penny had cake for the first time, she had a crazy sugar rush that made her hyper like a monkey in a jungle gym. Poor Bailey couldn't catch her, and neither could Tulip or Atticus. When she got her first sugar crash in the next picture, Penny wanted to lay down due to her being tired. So, Tulip, Bryce, Bailey, One-One, Atticus and Ava joined in and did cake angels with her while Rexy held the phone (in which case it was fortunate that Tulip used her multitool to clip them). Then, he took a look at his most recent picture.

It was a shot of him and Tulip acting as the bride and groom (this time, it was One-One's idea). Bailey and Ava were Tulip's best women while Atticus and Rexy were Bryce's best men, Penny was the flower girl, and One-One was holding the camera. The two of them couldn't hide their blushes as they looked into the camera. They didn't exactly dress the part, and the flowers were mainly the pink icing on the cake, but it still looked romantic, nonetheless. In fact, looking at this photo made Bryce blush deeper than beet red. Before he could look longer, Tulip's voice spoke up.

"I think it looks pretty cute."

Her voice made him quickly turn to her, though he had to keep it cool so that he didn't appear too flustered.

"Huh? What does?"

"The two of us standing together like that. It's almost like we were getting married."

Bryce's blush was still present, but it didn't bother him. After all, they did profess how much they loved each other while trapped in their own tapes, though it was to a certain extent. The thought made him smile as he looked at how close they were. Then, he took notice of a certain detail concerning a certain thing.

"Yeah. Almost. Except neither one of us had a ring."

This made Tulip give a short nervous laugh.

"Yeah. Right..."

Contrary to what he thought, Tulip actually did have a ring. She had it since they finished the Arcade Car, thanks to One-One. To think she forgot about it until now. This made the blush even worse as she looked to her backpack before Bailey spoke up.

"Hey! You guys gonna catch up?"

Tulip and Bryce both looked up simultaneously as they responded.

"Uh, yeah! Sure!"

"We'll be right there!"

The couple ran to catch up with the others as Bailey smiled at them. She knew how happy they were with each other. It was exactly like the way she and Aiden were back in the day. The feeling was unmistakable. Penny took notice of her smile and became curious.

"Mommy? What are you smiling for?"

Bailey looked down to her daughter as she replied.

"Oh, nothing. It's just I know that look from anywhere."

"Huh? What look?"

"The same look your father and I had back in the day. If you're older, you'll know what I mean."

As Penny looked at Tulip and Bryce's faces as they gazed to each other with a smile, she began to recall the similarity. Penny didn't need to be older to know what can happen; she saw it herself from her father's tape. This made her widen her eyes as she breathed in a huge gasp, predicting the outcome too quickly as she whispered.

"They're gonna have a baby?"

Bailey giggled at her assumption as she rubbed her head.

"Not yet, sweetie. But they do like each other. Like me and your father did."

"Oh, yeah. But can I ask another question?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything."

"Where do babies come from?"

This made Bailey blush madly before she turned her head away.

"Anything but that. Ask me again when you're older."

While Penny groaned, Tulip laughed a bit at what she overheard behind her, which was right when Penny asked her that feared question. Then, it came to her. She knew as much about where babies come from as much as she did about puberty; she had no clue about either topic whatsoever. It was only a matter of time before she became curious about it herself.

"Huh. Where do babies come from?"

Much as she wanted to know, she also knew that she may not be ready to hear that if Bailey's nervousness was anything to go by. She didn't think the lesson about puberty was needed, either. Tulip knew that there are some things she's not ready for, even with all the experience on the train. But she digressed. Tulip put her hands on the doorknobs and twisted them to open up a new car. What they saw over there wasn't quite what they expected.

* * *

It had pink clouds for them to stand on, along with a yellow-orange sky that simulated a sunset, and there were little cartoon-like hearts that resembled butterflies of different colors (such as red, scarlet, yellow, green, light blue, and pink) floating around the whole area of the car. Most of the group became confused as they'd never been in such a car. But that didn't stop Penny or One-One from being amazed by such a sight. Even his sad side saw the beauty in them.

"Wow... they look so pretty."

"I know. They're just like cute little butterflies."

"Or they could be like moths that fly towards the light..."

A heart came up near Bailey's face before landing on her nose as it fluttered while Ava tried to be cautious about the situation.

"Maybe. But not every car is what they appeared to be. I think we all learned that after the Chrome Car incident."

Bryce didn't think much of it as he remembered Tabitha's warning prior to entering his next car after adopting Penny.

"Speak for yourself. Tulip, Penny, and I learned that lesson a long time ago."

This made Tulip and Bryce recall a certain masked figure they encountered at the Rainforest Car: Night Shroud. They haven't seen her since then, given that she even survived that fall. It's been well over three months since her last sighting, and that alone was suspicious. What could it mean?

"Speaking of a long time... we haven't seen Night Shroud in months, have we?"

This wasn't a particularly favorite memory of Bryce's. She was the first one to make him so scared and vulnerable. And that was just in Corginia. Who knows what she could be capable of now?

"Yeah. Come to think of it, we haven't seen her since she fell."

The particular topic made Bailey confused. Even with the story Penny told her, she hadn't heard any mention of that figure, though Penny was convinced that she did tell her.

"Who's Night Shroud?"

"You know, that scary lady I was telling you about. She made Bryce so scared at Corginia. But I helped stop her."

"Oh. Sounds like we've got more than just cars to worry about."

Ava couldn't agree more with her as she looked to her.

"And it's all the more reason to keep our eyes out for anything out of the ordinary."

Rexy found it difficult to keep track as a bunch of heart butterflies fluttered around him.

"Uh, Ava, we're surrounded by hearts shaped like butterflies and standing on pink clouds. _Everything's _out of the ordinary."

"Touché."

Far ahead, Tulip took notice of something in front of her.

"There's that. But what about this?"

It was a building shaped like a big red heart with the words "Cupid's Arrow" on it and a pink, purple, and light red neon sign over the entrance (which is a white curved archway with no doors in the shape of another heart) with an arrow pointing in and on it that says "all sweethearts enter here" written in fancy cursive writing with "guests and walk-ins welcome" below it in normal writing and two silhouetted images of a couple hugging on it. There was also two ground spotlights next to the building swaying like a Hollywood premiere party, and circle windows with hot pink frames on a few sides of the building. Topping it off is a red carpet that leads from the cloud to the enterance area of the building. Tulip and Bryce took notice of the sign and began to blush as the latter spoke first.

"Sweethearts? Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know about this..."

Seeing their hesitation, Bailey walked up behind them and put her hands on their backs.

"Come on, guys. You've been through who knows how many situations before now. What's one more gonna hurt? Besides, you guys are sweethearts, aren't you?"

Bryce and Tulip look to each other with a smile as they blushed. They did love each other enough to be called sweethearts. It shouldn't have to be so embarrassing for them. They did go through a wedding cake car not too long ago. What could possibly happen from this car? Tulip didn't see the harm in it as she spoke.

"Well, it's not like we're getting married on the spot."

"Yeah. That may have to wait a while. I mean, at least we can go in. But, isn't it gonna be a little... weird?"

"Well, yeah, but it's only weird if we make it weird."

Bryce took a moment of consideration. The logic did make sense so far. And the weirdest they've ever been concerning each other was when they're blushing by far, but even that seemed normal. This should be a piece of cake.

"Okay. Fair point."

Tulip and Bryce then walked up to the building as the others followed behind them. They walked on the red carpet as they came up on the entrance. When they got close enough, the door split itself in half before moving like an automatic door to reveal the other side of it, which consisted of a desk up front with a velvet rope blocking the door beside the desk and a few chairs on the side, most likely the waiting room of the building. While they walked into the room, they saw pictures up on the walls that showed a girl with short blonde hair in a blue sweatshirt and another girl with long raven-black hair and a grey long-sleeved shirt each drinking from a straw of their own from a cherry milkshake as they looked to each other while a caption below it said "We're Straw-ger together!" Bailey smiled at the photo as she spoke.

"Aw, that's cute."

Rexy took notice of another photo with Randall going on a tandem bike ride with another Randall on a serene countryside while the caption below that said, "Friendship is water-ful". The idea of it seemed a little odd for him as he spoke.

"Oy. I've heard about people loving themselves, but this is ridiculous."

Then, Bryce took notice of a picture with a young man with black hair and a blue hairline wearing a tuxedo doing a dance with another young man who had dark brown hair and in another tuxedo in a prom setting with the caption below saying, "You're my sweetheart. That's a prom-ise." Bryce found it a bit odd, but personally he had nothing against it as they seemed happy with each other.

"Well, those guys are gay. Good for them."

Penny overheard his words and became confused as she walked over to him.

"What's gay mean?"

Bryce turned to see her and became embarrassed as he realized she didn't know the meaning of the word. Then, he thought about the other definition of the word to use.

"Oh. Um... it means 'happy'. You know, like the song I told you about? 'Don we now our gay apparel'."

Penny was able to recall that particular lyric from the Christmas song a few months back. It was thanks to that the lyric made more sense, as did the word.

"Oh. Yeah. They look really gay."

Happy as Penny looked with the picture, Tulip felt there should be another definition that should be acknowledged. Unfortunately, Penny overheard her grumbling.

"Well, you know that's not the only thing it means."

"Huh? What else is it?"

Bryce looked over to Tulip and made a waving motion with his hands not to tell her before she made a mistake. Fortunately, Tulip caught on early and retracted her remark.

"Never mind. We'll talk later."

The group pressed onward to the front desk where they see a small, chubby man with silver hair in a tuxedo with angel's wings on his back as he oversaw the computer. The figure's appearance confused Penny as she looked up to Bailey.

"What's that, mommy?"

"Oh. Aiden told me about them when you were a baby. That's a Cupid. They're the ones who make people fall in love."

"Wow, really?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that how you and daddy fell in love?"

This made Bailey blush as she held her hand to her head.

"Uh... sure. Let's go with that."

When they got to him, the Cupid was ready to greet them as he looked up to them while he addressed Tulip.

"Welcome to Cupid's Arrow. How can I help you?"

"Uh, hi. We're here to look for the exit door from this car. Can you show us where it is?"

"Of course. Let me just take a look at the list."

Bryce became confused as the Cupid looked through it.

"You have a list?"

"That's right. And, believe me, the thing is quite long. In fact, it's gotten to the point where it's becoming a jumbo paper towel roll. And that's just alphabetically for denizens. That's why there's two."

The cupid opened up a drawer and unveiled two lengthy lists in the forms of a rolls. Tulip gave a sharp inhale before she spoke.

"Yeah... can you just do a quick skim for passengers _and_ denizens?"

"I'll have to ask for the names. First and last, of course. It's a policy, really."

Atticus stepped up as he spoke to the Cupid.

"Well, perhaps we can oblige you. To start, I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. But you may call me Atticus."

Then, Tulip and Bryce went next with the latter acting Bond-esque before Ava, Penny, Bailey, Rexy, and One-One.

"Well, I'm Tulip Olsen."

"The name's Bryce. Bryce Gideon."

His antic made Tulip giggle a bit before the others went next with Penny acting like her older brother did.

"And I'm Penny. Penny Charleston."

"My name's Ava."

"And I'm Bailey Charleston, like Mount Charleston."

"I'm Rexy the Wrecker."

"And I'm One..."

"One."

The Cupid host then looked to the lists again as he kept track.

"Well, you fellows are really going for the alphabet. Now, let's see."

The Cupid then closed the drawer before he typed the names on the keyboard.

"Atticus... Tulip Olsen... Bryce Gideon... et cetera, et cetera... and... there!"

Once he pressed the enter button, the monitor showed most of the names present on the lost as he spoke.

"Ah, there you are. Atticus, Bryce, One-One, Rexy, and Tulip, you are on the list."

The group smiled from hearing this before Bailey, Penny, and Ava realized their names were left out as the first of the three spoke.

"But... you didn't say our names."

"Well, that's because you're not on the list. But you are welcome to get in, nonetheless. Guests and walk-ins are welcome, after all. I'll notify the manager and he'll meet with you shortly."

The Cupid then pushed a red button with a speaker above it before a voice spoke through it.

"What'cha got for me, bellhop?"

"We've got eight patrons here at Cupid's Arrow looking for an exit. Five of them are on the list, and the rest are walk-ins."

"Eight patrons? Well, that's a turnaround. Wait. Are they with the Apex? We're almost done cleaning up after their rowdiness in the Lovebird's Nest. Not that I'm complaining; they really know how to liven things up."

The bellhop looked at the group with a glance as Tulip and Bryce looked to each other in curiosity.

"The Apex? Do you know anything about that?"

"Honestly, no. That's the first I've ever heard about them."

"No, they're not with the Apex. At the very least, they don't look Apex material."

"Alright. Tell them I'll be here in a few seconds. Oh, and be sure to open the velvet rope."

The transmission finished itself as a static came before the bellhop looked to the group and told them the situation while he unlinked the velvet rope.

"The manager will be with you in three, two, one..."

Suddenly, the door threw itself open to show another cupid with a white tuxedo and silver hair in a pompadour style as he flew to Tulip and Bryce with his angel's wings and brought them closer to his head as he spoke boisterously.

"Ta-da! Hello, my friends! And welcome to Cupid's Arrow, the Car of Love!"

The manager flew in-between them and went by the door as he introduced himself.

"My name is Des Ire, and I'm so glad you came by. Please, follow me to the door."

Des began to go through the door while Penny took notice of what he had on his behind: a diaper. The outfit at the bottom confused her as she looked to Bailey.

"How come he's wearing a diaper?"

"Oh, that's just usually how they dress."

The bellhop sighed in agreement with Bailey's theory with Sad One showing his sympathy.

"It's sad, but it's true..."

"Oh, I feel for you."

When they got in the other side, the group was met with a fancy setting. It had classical and fancy decorations one would usually find at a wedding. There were plain white banners that held no words, white cloth covered tables, pink streamers, pink and red roses in vases on the tables, and fold out chairs. And in the middle of the Cupid's Arrow is a big white gazebo with a wooden podium that had a microphone on it. Near it on the left is a few clouds flowing a hot pink liquid on each other and ending on a small lake area held up with rocks to keep from spilling. And on the right of it was a big heartshaped device with lights around it called "Love Match". The designs were practically flawless as the group gasped in awe, something Des appreciated, though he wasn't lost on what they came here for as he turned to Tulip.

"I know. Beautiful, huh? Of course, I understand that you're looking for an exit."

"Well, uh, yeah. Can you show us where it is?"

"Why, it's right over there. But I'll have to warn you in advance that it's locked."

Des pointed to his right where the exit door is. Above it was a small television screen. And beside the exit door on its right was a heart-shaped door with a sign above it that said, "The Lovebirds' Nest" in cursive writing. And it led to a room that held a pink heart-shaped bed in low candle lighting with rose petals around it, as well as a cupid placing a fancy glass of red liquid on a table beside the bed and rose petals before Penny became curious and tried to address Des.

"Uh, Mr. Des?"

"Yes?"

"What's in _that_ room?"

"That? Oh, yeah. That'll be 'The Lovebird's Nest'. It's for when two people love each other enough to... well, I assume two of you get the picture."

Des then winked to Bryce and Bailey before the two of them blushed, making Penny wanting to know as she turned to them before she asked, only for Bailey to answer quickly.

"Get what picture?"

"It's actually more of an adult thing, Penny. Ask me again when you're older, okay?"

While Penny groaned, Des continued to speak to them while simultaneously getting Penny's attention again.

"Aw, but don't let that get you down. There's another thing you can try here."

"Really? What's that?"

"Allow me to introduce you to... the Love Match game!"

While Des gestured to the machine they saw before by the gazebo, Ava became curious about the design as the group walked over to it while Des flew by them.

"Love Match?"

"It's easy. All you have to do is step up in line of its camera, get your picture taken, and it'll determine how compatible you are with each other. And the best part? Depending on the score you get, you get a prize to go with it! Isn't it exciting?"

Tulip wanted to verify Des's word to be safe. After all, the last two things that seemed simple turned out to be way more complicated and harrowing. She's had enough of that for two lifetimes, and she could only live one.

"You're sure? It's not gonna suck us in, is it?"

"Nah. It'll just take a quick pic. It's perfectly safe."

One-One was quick to speak up as he split himself up and raised his stubs, catching Des's attention.

"Ooh! Ooh! I want my picture taken!"

"It better not give me any red eyes..."

"Well, the ayes have it!"

Des quickly picked up both sides of One-One and set him on the path of the camera at the top of the machine as it angled down diagonally while Des spoke.

"Now, just stay perfectly still and let the camera take a good snap at you."

While they were still, Sad One turned to his Glad side as he spoke monotonously.

"Just watch: we'll probably be incompatible..."

"Probably, but opposites do attract, don't they?"

"Good point..."

Just then, the camera flashed before showing a picture on the monitor of both sides of One-One in the camera's range before a loading screen came up. When it was finished, it gave out a score on the monitor that was a five out of ten. Des winced as he spoke to the robot, making Sad One give a sigh.

"Well, that's a disappointment."

"I knew we'd get a low rating..."

"It doesn't seem that low to me. In fact, it might be half-full."

"Yeah, but it's half-empty, too..."

With the demonstration made, Des went over to the robot as he spoke while handing One-One a miniature figure of Cupid's Arrow with a plaque that said "single and ready to mingle".

"Aw, don't worry about it. You actually get a runner-up prize. You're welcome to this commemorative Cupid's Arrow statue and plaque, free of charge."

Despite having obtained the prize, Sad-One only gave a sigh while Glad-One giggled a bit before Des smiled at Tulip again as he spoke.

"See? Perfectly safe."

With the evidence presented so far, Tulip was convinced. One-One got to have a picture, and he didn't get sucked in or stuck inside a mirror. As long as neither of those happen, she didn't see the harm in it.

"Well, the price is right."

It was more than Bryce could say as he began to sweat a little bit. And Bailey didn't appear to be so happy, either as Penny looked up to her. She had a sad frown upon her face. Penny knew that look since she first met her after six years. Something must be bothering her.

"What's wrong, mommy?"

Bailey snapped out of her frown, but her voice couldn't completely hide how sad she was.

"Oh, sorry. I I was just thinking about your father. He would've loved this..."

Des overheard Bailey's words and flew over to her as he spoke softly in sympathy. He knew what that past tense implied, and he didn't want a sad customer.

"You had a husband? What happened to him?"

"Well... I don't know. That's the whole problem. I haven't seen him since my car turned into a wasteland for six years. No one knows what happened to him."

Des places his hand on her shoulder to help reassure her as he spoke.

"I am so sorry for your loss."

"No. I-It's fine. I just wish I could know for sure that Aiden's out there..."

Tulip and Bryce looked to Bailey and tried to help her out of her funk.

"It's okay, Bailey. Maybe we will find him someday."

"Yeah. We'll be there for you if you need us. You know that, right?"

Bailey gave a small smile to them before she replied softly while Des began to get intrigued by their affection.

"Yeah. Thanks, guys."

"Ooh. Patient, caring, and supportive? I think we just found our next volunteers for the Love Match machine."

Des flew beside Bryce and Tulip and quickly easing them towards the machine.

"Come on and step right up, you little sweethearts."

With a blush appearing on his face, Bryce felt as though he was being rushed into it, or at very least, literally pushed into it. Tulip didn't see the harm in getting the picture, however, since nothing out of the ordinary happened when One-One's picture was taken.

"Uh, I don't know about this..."

"It'll be okay, Bryce. We're just getting a picture. It's no big deal."

Despite this, Bryce still moved away from Des' hand and tried to explain himself as Tulip began to show a bit of concern.

"Um, about that..."

"What's wrong?"

"I never told you this, but I didn't exactly have the best picture days."

Des didn't see any need to worry about it as he replied to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We can always fix it at the editing."

"That's what they always say. But every time they edit it, it always got worse. Like when I got my first picture at elementary school back in Minnesota."

This piqued Tulip and Penny's curiosity as they asked different questions to him.

"Wait. You're from Minnesota?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly born in Chicago. We had to move there after what happened."

"But what's an Elementary School?"

"I-It's like a school for little kids, Penny. Anyway, when picture day came and I got my picture I was so excited. That is, until I got the picture. I had red eyes from the flash."

Ava became puzzled over that as she pondered aloud.

"That's it? Just because you had red eyes?"

"That would've been fine, Ava, but when I got my picture, I looked like my eyes were pulled out. Apparently, someone had it out for me and hijacked the photo to make me look like a monster. I know because there was a death threat on the back of the picture when I got it. My parents took that threat seriously and tried to find whoever made that letter, and the fact that I was called 'dead-eye' in class didn't help. When they found out who did it, they filed a lawsuit, but it didn't work. Rather than put up with a school calling me names, we had to move to Chicago, and... I haven't gone to a picture day ever since."

Tulip found it hard to believe from their last car where they took photos.

"But... you seemed fine when we had all those pictures in the last car."

"Of course I was. Because they were taken by the people I trust. And besides, it's one thing to use a phone for a picture, but this? I'm getting the feeling that it's gonna happen all over again... and you being next to me would only make it worse."

There was a small moment of silence as the group felt bad for him. However, Rexy didn't find it necessary.

"Of, come on! It's just a stupid pic—!"

Before Rexy could finish, Atticus pounced on him and put his paw on his mouth to clam him up, only for him to speak through his muffled mouth.

"It's rude to interrupt, you know."

"But nobody was saying anything!"

Tulip went over to Bryce and put her hand on his face, making him look to her as she spoke softly.

"Hey. It's gonna be okay. Nobody's out to get you here. We can pretend it's like the pictures we took in the last car. It'll be just the two of us."

This made Bryce's blush appear on him again as he repeated her words.

"Just the two of us?"

"Yeah. I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

Bryce gently closed his eyes before he replied.

"I do."

"Then come on. The sooner we take this picture, the sooner we can move on."

Tulip put her hand gently on Bryce's and the two of them went hand-in-hand and got upon the mat of the Love Match machine. From there, they looked to the camera as Tulip looked to Bryce with a smile before he did the same. The blush appeared on Tulip's face as well, but neither of them seemed to care about it. They turned back to the camera with a smile from each of them as they began to hold their hands together. Then, a flash came on them before the monitor was loading.

Bryce was admittedly a bit anxious to see how the photo would turn out. But when it was finished, it showed Bryce and Tulip exactly how they looked, their blushes and smiles present. It came as a great relief for him as he looked exactly how he should: with eyes that weren't plucked out.

"Huh. That's more like it."

"See? What did I tell you?"

But it wasn't the only surprise there. Their meter actually read a perfect ten out of ten! Seeing the score greatly pleased Des as he gasped dramatically before speaking boisterously.

"A ten out of ten! You two are a perfect match for sure!"

Bailey was excited as she went over to Tulip and Bryce and hugged them as she spoke to them, making Bryce and Tulip smile to her.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you guys! You're just like when Aiden and I were together."

"Uh... thanks, Bailey."

"We appreciate it."

Des flew up to Tulip and Bryce with a small envelope in his hand.

"And for getting such a positive score, here is your grand prize!"

Tulip took the envelope and became curious. Though, given what they realized about their numbers, it may be a clever way to open the door by hiding the key within the envelope. And they must not have been able to get it unless they become close to each other. If that isn't a cry for personal growth, she wouldn't know what is.

"Huh. That's a clever place to put a key to the door."

But Des suggested otherwise to Tulip as he spoke with a grin.

"Actually, the grand prize isn't the key to the door."

"Huh? Then what is it, Des?"

"You'll just have to open it and see..."

When Tulip opened the envelope, she found a small, fancy invitation embroiled in gold and silver with a tulip flower and a rose behind the words as Tulip read them aloud. As she did, the blush on her face appeared as though she was sunburnt.

"Congratulations to the lucky couple who receives this letter. You are cordially invited to... your own wedding?"

This caught the others by surprise, Bryce most of all as his blush became just as red as hers.

"Wait, what?"

Des did a celebratory jazz hands as he spoke.

"Ta-da! It's your own marriage license! Pretty amazing, huh?"

Tulip took a second look, reading on the rest of the letter while Bryce felt otherwise.

"Uh, I don't think you know how they're supposed to work, Des."

"Oh, sure I do. I just wanted to add a little flair. Besides, you obviously can't talk to your parents, being stuck in the train like you are. So..."

While Tulip continued reading, she was practically descending into a panic.

"'The wedding is all-expenses-paid and given by the generous host of Cupid's Arrow and the Matchmaking Car itself. All the guests that came with you lucky couple are invited as well, with the sitting arrangements having family closest to the main event while friends will hang in the back. After the vows are exchanged you both may retire to the 'Lovebirds' Nest' to consummate your loving matrimony. Festivities will begin... Right now?!' B-But we can't get married just yet! Bryce is older than I am! By three years!"

"Pfft. So?"

Feeling just as stressed about the prize, Bryce shouted next.

"So, I'm 16! And she is 13! It can't work!"

Bryce's words ended up getting a different reaction from Tulip. She wanted to agree with him about the ridiculousness about them being married so quickly, but somehow, it struck her like a dagger.

"Oh, sure it can. Things like age don't matter when it comes to love."

"It does when you have to tell your parents that you're suddenly married when you get back home! We haven't even been dating yet!"

"Come on, Bryce. You're either married or you're not. What other option is there?"

Those words struck Tulip's memory as she recalled those exact words from her tape.

"_You're either married or you're not. What else is there?"_

As much as Tulip knows how much they actually loved each other, she couldn't help but remember how well her parents, Andy and Megan, got along when she was young. They were always fighting all the time. And in most of those times, she couldn't help but think that if they'd married a few years earlier, her story would've been different. This made her examine her own really quickly. If she married Bryce later, would she end up like them...? And even if she didn't, how were they supposed to leave the car, let alone the train? Tulip took a second look at the letter and read the fine print below what she'd read before as Bryce spoke.

"I... I don't know. But I think we at least need time to discuss this before we just get married right away. Besides, we don't even have a ring."

To further the group's surprise, however, One-One spoke up as he waddled over.

"Sure you do! It's in Ms. Tulip's backpack!"

This made Tulip blush like crazy as she'd forgotten about the diamond ring that One-One bought her. At the same time, Bryce became confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about, One-One?"

Tulip was put in an embarrassing position. As if getting forced into a marriage wasn't embarrassing enough, now One-One had to bring up the ring? She would rather bury her head in the letter at this point. But before she tried it, Tulip read the fine print again in a footnote and began to have a different reaction as she spoke to herself.

"Wait a minute... I never thought I'd say this, but thanks for the ring, One-One."

She didn't quite hear One-One explaining his role to Bryce as she was too embarrassed before getting caught up on the note and having an apparent epiphany as Bryce's voice spoke to her.

"Is that true, Tulip?"

Tulip looked over to Bryce with a sigh before she spoke to him.

"Yeah. It's true..."

She took off her backpack and got on her knee as she opened it and pulled out the diamond ring that One-One got for her, making the group gasp in wonder and surprise as Glad and Sad One spoke.

"Oh! There it is! There's the ring!"

"It's about time..."

Bryce looked to Tulip in confusion as he tried to make sense of why she'd keep the ring that One-One gave her. He tried to figure it out as she walked over to him.

"You... you had that ring since we left the Arcade Car? But why?"

"Well, it was actually all One-One's idea. I could've tossed it out, but... I guess a part of me really did want to marry you. I mean, I was hoping to do it when we really got used to each other and when we dated long enough, but... since One-One had to open his big mouth..."

Glad One interjected with a gleeful reply and a wave to Tulip.

"You're welcome!"

"I guess I don't have a choice. It'd only be more embarrassing for both of us, otherwise."

Tulip gently placed the ring on his hand before she looked to his face, a blush forming on her face.

"Bryce... would you do me the honor of being my... my groom...?"

Bryce has no words for what came out of her mouth. She had to know how wrong this marriage was in terms of age. They haven't even dated yet, for Pete's sake! But then he caught a look in Tulip's face as she winked to him. If he knew Tulip, which he did, he knew she had a plan. And it needed him to say yes. So, he went along with it as he smiled to her while he placed the ring through her index finger.

"You know what? I will."

The group let out a huge gasp, the biggest coming from Bailey and One-One as Des exclaimed in joy.

"Huzzah! Love conquers all! I'll go get the outfits! A big day is upon us!"

Des then flew towards a black curtain on a side of the wall before Bryce looked to Tulip, hoping he was right.

"Okay, so while he's doing that, what's the plan?"

Tulip picked up the letter and showed it to Bryce as she explained.

"I read the fine print on the letter. You'll see."

Bryce then began to read the print aloud as he spoke.

"'After the marriage is finished, the couple and the guests may leave outside the door near the 'Lovebirds' Nest.' Huh. What are the odds?"

Rexy was thrown for a loop as he spoke up before Bailey immediately spoke out her personal thoughts quickly with a look of disbelief

"Wait. So, are you guys getting married or not?"

"You guys better say no!"

However, it made Penny confused to see her mother like this as she tried to find out why.

"How come?"

"Because, Penny, they're too young to be marrying each other! They haven't even dated yet!"

Tulip put on an embarrassed look as she spoke to her.

"I'm sorry, Bailey. But it's the only way we can get to that exit. Besides, it doesn't have to be like an actual marriage. It can be like, uh... practice."

The concept eluded Ava. Even with all her time on the train, she knew that there wasn't such a thing as practice when it came to marriage as she spoke to Tulip.

"Practicing marriage? I don't think there was such a thing as practice marriage in your world."

"No, but it can start here. On the train, that is."

Atticus looked up to Tulip and Bryce as he spoke his personal opinion.

"Well, I just hope you know what you're doing. I fear there may be consequences if he found out you only played along just to get the exit."

Tulip failed to see how Des could be a threat. Exit aside, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but for him to deliver punishment seemed a bit out of character for him.

"We'll try not to hurt his feelings, Atticus. But, come on. What could he possibly do to us?"

Her question was answered as Des burst out of the room with eager anticipation as he grabbed Tulip and Bryce by their arms.

"Come on, you lucky couple, you! Your big day is waiting!"

Tulip and Bryce were quickly pulled to the black curtain with Des practically squeezing their wrists.

"Okay, okay!"

"Geez! What kind of grip do you have?!"

After a short moment, Des peeked out again before he spoke.

"Oh, and can I ask the guests to help out in the dressing rooms real quick? Great. Thank you."

Des quickly went back in the curtain while Bailey found him somewhat of a loner. Regardless, she knew they'd only get one chance at a first impression. Considering it was practice, she might as well help them get it right.

"He must've had a lot of time on his hands... Okay, I've been through this marriage thing before, so obviously, they're gonna need our support. Atticus, One-One, and I will help out Tulip. And Penny, you, Rexy, and Ava will help Bryce out. Got it?"

The group all nodded in agreement before Rexy raised a claw in he air before Bailey pointed to him.

"What is it, Rexy?"

"Just one question: do we have to wear anything for the wedding?"

As if to answer, Des popped out of the black curtain and replied to him.

"Oh, yes. That reminds me. Bellhop!"

On cue, the bellhop flew in and spoke out the answer to his question.

"As per policy, the guests have to wear fancy attire to the marriage event. If they did not bring said attire, one will be provided for them."

Des felt his point was made clear as he spoke to the group.

"There. You have your answer. Don't worry. There's plenty of dressing rooms for all of you. You can just go ahead and freshen up while I have a moment with the bride and the groom."

Des went back in the curtain as most of the group all looked towards Rexy, almost as if some of them glared at him while he became confused.

"What?"

* * *

A moment later, Des was showing off the outfits to Tulip and Bryce backstage. One of the outfits was a black tuxedo with a white shirt and a red tie with black pants, fancy black shoes, and gold cufflinks while another outfit was a white, flowing wedding dress without the shoulders, white gloves, and white, flat slip-on shoes.

"And these will be your outfits! What do you think? Pretty romantic, right? I tailored these myself."

Neither of them had any words for how beautiful they were. Des seemed really committed to this whole thing. Almost as if he's done it before... This made Tulip think about asking the question to him, hoping it would shed some light.

"Yeah. Have you... done this kind of before?"

"Well, every once in a while, sure. Like the last couple who came here about two days ago, Grace and Simon."

Bryce and Tulip became intrigued as they hadn't heard of them before today.

"Grace and Simon?"

"Who were they?"

"Oh, just the last couple that got married. Called themselves the leaders of the 'Apex' or something. Their numbers were so high, it went up to their wrists!"

Tulip and Bryce couldn't help but be worried over that. The only people they knew of that had numbers that high, or worse, was the Scarecrows. If the Apex was anything like them, they hoped they wouldn't see them anytime soon.

"Yeah. They weren't exactly all enthusiastic about it at first, either. But when push came to shove, they cane to terms with that marriage and loved the heck outta each other at the Lovebirds' Nest."

This made Tulip and Bryce feel awkward as they felt it wasn't best to get into that topic so soon. That would be more embarrassing than the wedding itself. Fortunately, Des wasn't going too into details about it as he got out a picture from his tux pocket.

"I even saved myself this commemorative photo. Wanna take a look?"

Tulip and Bryce took a look at the photo and saw a a young African-American woman with short dark hair in dreadlocks wearing the dress Des prepared while also showing young adult of European descent with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and stubble on his chin wearing the tux beside her as they both smiled. According to Des, they must be Grace and Simon. And he wasn't kidding about their numbers.

Grace's number nearly went up to her elbow. And as for Simon, his number was obscured in the tux's sleeve, but the glow that came from it was all the indication they needed that it was just as high, if not more. Worried as they were, though, they can't help but notice how happy they were together as Tulip tried to sort out her mixed feelings.

"Huh. That's... nice."

Though, Bryce was stuck on how it was possible for their numbers to be that high as he looked up to Des, who developed somewhat of a fascination for them.

"Do you know how their numbers got high?"

"Yeah, funny thing about those guys. They actually just raid other cars and pillage them like pirates. And, oh-ho, boy, do I love me some pirates!"

Tulip and Bryce gave him a look that suggested it was a bizarre thing to like about them, if there's any at all. Seeing that look, Des quickly got back to the topic as he spoke to them with a clear of his throat while pointing to the individual dressing rooms specifically labeled "bride" and "groom".

"Ahem! Anyway, you can take the outfits and get fitted in your dressing room. I also have some help in here that will help you with everything else from there. Feel free to take your time!"

Des then flew out of the room in a jiffy as Tulip and Bryce looked back at the picture. They knew that they must be dangerous for their numbers to be so high. And yet, something about the atmosphere around them felt almost like they were close. After realizing how similar Simon looked to Bobby, Tulip had to wonder about them as she looked to Bryce.

"What do you think? Should we worry about them anytime soon? And by 'them', I mean 'Bobby's evil twin'."

"I don't think so. Des did say they were here a couple of days ago. Who knows how far ahead on the train they are by now? And why aren't you worried about her?"

Tulip looked back to Grace and Simon's picture as she pondered about something else.

"Well... Grace doesn't seem to think that it's the worst thing to be on the train, and she doesn't look evil like the Scarecrows."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful. I mean, if she weren't pillaging other cars, that'd be different. But it's not. And who knows how bad Simon is compared to her..."

Bryce clenched his left hand into a fist, catching Tulip's notice as she tried to calm him down by placing her hand on his fist before she tried to find out if it was personal.

"What's wrong? Do you two know each other?"

Bryce gave himself a moment to take a deep breath before he replied.

"No. Not before today. It's just... there's something about him that makes me hate his guts."

Tulip looked back at the picture and could easily see why. The smile on Simon appeared too cocky. Too arrogant...

"Woof. Now that you say that, I'm not sure I like him, either. Talk about emphasis on the evil twin. I honestly don't know what Grace ever saw in that guy."

"Me neither. But whatever she saw in him... he better not mess it up for her. If he does, it might be the last thing he'd ever do."

"According to you?"

This took Bryce aback for a moment before he tried to explain.

"N-no. Not like that, Tulip. I was talking about karma here."

"Well, either way, this is their problem, not ours. We'll let them sort it out."

Bryce took a sigh as he saw her point. He didn't know if the situation would get better or worse by interfering, even if it were possible. And that'd be something he's not sure if his conscience would let him forget.

"Yeah. You're right. I just hope Simon and Grace get their act together before it's too late..."

Tulip and Bryce then looked to each other, letting a moment dwindle between them before she spoke to him.

"Well... uh... see you in a few."

"Yeah. You, too."

Tulip brought the photo with her as she went to her dressing room while Bryce went for his. When Tulip got inside her dressing room with her dress, she took notice of another cupid with blonde hair in a slicked-back style as he spoke to her.

"Hi, there. I'm Chad, and I'm here to help you with your dress."

"Oh. Well, hi, Chad. No offense, but how exactly can you help out?"

"I'm glad you asked. You know those tiny zippers in the back that you just can't reach?"

Tulip began to blush at the thought of it. Just imaging herself trying all she could to zip up her own wedding dress only to come up short while it fell down was more than she could take. She learned ahead of time that it is alright to ask for help in the Chrome Car. But even if she hadn't, that would be preferable to having her wedding dress slip and fully exposing her.

"Unfortunately..."

"Well, I'm here for that."

Grateful as she was for him to be here to prevent that disaster, Tulip wondered if he wasn't here for anything else.

"That's it? Just for the zipper?"

"Oh, and the hair. I am a pretty great hairdresser."

"Oh. So, you don't... dress them up yourselves?"

Having been asked that question, Chad took offense to it quickly.

"Of course not! The bodies of the bride and groom are sacred! How can we maintain that if we even look at you when you're indecent?"

Tulip was surprised by Chad's outburst. She had a feeling there was something going on and felt as though she inadvertently brought it up as she tried to apologize.

"Whoa. Sorry I asked. I'm just new to this whole thing."

Chad calmed himself down a moment before he got back to business, turning around while covering his eyes.

"No, it's okay. Just-just do your thing. I'll just turn around. Let me know when you're all dressed, okay?"

"Um... okay?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Des decided to check back on the guests. With the time he's had talking with the bride and groom, they must've had more than enough time to dress up.

"Alright, now lets take a look at you."

When Des saw their attire, he was amazed. While Atticus wore a black bow tie collar around his neck and Glad One had a fancy hat on while Sad One had a wedding veil, Ava was wearing a yellow poofy type of dress with pink slip-on shoes and a black hair band. As for Penny, she wore a white and pink polka dotted dress with frills on the edges of the skirt and shoulder areas, white leggings, shiny red heeled shoes, and a fancy flower corsage that changed colors randomly. Rexy was wearing a fancy black Derby hat under his baseball cap (which nearly covers his eyes), a big light blue dress jacket, orange bow tie hanging loosely on his neck, a big white dress shirt, and big light blue pants along with a long black cane. And last but not least, Bailey wore a dark blue long dress, a pair of white high heels, and a simple pink flower corsage.

"Oh, you are all looking so beautiful today! Now, _that's _how you dress for the big day! Huh, am I right?"

Ava wasn't one to agree with how her outfit looked.

"I don't know. I mean, it's nice. But I don't think yellow's quite my color."

However, Rexy was getting used to his own outfit.

"Speak for yourself, Ava. Me? I feel like I'm on top of the world, and then some."

Bailey took a look at her dress and admired it as she twirled, as did Penny as she looked at her own corsage.

"Well, I like it. Wearing a dress like this really takes me back."

"And those flowers are pretty cool, too."

Des flew closer to the group with a smile as he spoke up to them about their task at hand.

"Great. Now, I know I've said it before, but this is a big day for them. So they'll be counting on you to help support them every step of the way. Think you can handle that?"

Penny, Ava, and Glad One nodded without hesitation, though Sad One wasn't ready for that moment.

"Uh-huh!"

"Of course."

"Yes, sir!"

"But I don't want her to leave me..."

Atticus and Rexy agreed next as they stepped up.

"I've been by their side since we met. It's the least I can do."

"Well, I might not know them much. But any friend of Ava's is a friend of mine."

However, Bailey didn't look so eager as Penny looked up to her.

"What's wrong, mommy? Aren't you gonna help them?"

Bailey snapped out of her funk for a moment as she responded positively, much to Des' enthusiasm.

"Oh! Sorry. Of course, I'll help."

"Yes! Oh, I'm so glad we can all agree. I'll leave it to you to decide which goes to the Bride and the Groom. I hope you have fun!"

Des then flew away from the group as Bailey recalled her initial game plan.

"Okay. Everyone remembers who to go to, right?"

The group nodded in response before Bailey looked to their dressing rooms.

"Good. Let's do this."

As per Bailey's plan, she, Atticus, and One-One headed to Tulip's dressing room while Ava, Penny, and Rexy went to Bryce's. Bailey knocked one the door, knowing that she must be getting ready in there, but did not wish to step in if she wasn't ready.

"Hey, Tulip. How are you doing?"

Instead of Tulip responding to her, Chad's voice replied back to her, only for Tulip to speak up after him.

"Don't come in yet! She isn't decent!"

"Uh, Chad, I am dressed."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?"

On the other side of the door, Chad went over to her zipper and pulled it up to where it isn't likely to fall off before Chad spoke up.

"Okay. You can come in, now."

Bailey cautiously opened the door, and what she saw was astounding. Tulip was wearing a simple, long-flow, white dress that was cut off at the shoulders, long white gloves, and white flat slip-on dress shoes. She looked absolutely amazing. Of course she would. It was her big day, after all. Bailey couldn't hide that as she walked in the room with Atticus and One-One following her.

"Wow, Tulip. You look so amazing."

"Really? You think so? I couldn't tell..."

One-One and Atticus couldn't agree more.

"Of course! Why, you're already blossoming into a beautiful flower!"

"And I must say, your beauty rivals even that of our ceremonies. But, mind you, I won't give out the details."

"Thanks. You guys are looking great, too."

With that, Chad spoke up next.

"Oh, I'm glad you guys agree. But I'm not done yet."

This made Bailey feel embarrassed as she turned her head away slightly.

"Oh. Sorry..."

"No, it's alright. You guys can stick around. I just gotta work on her hair. Oh, that reminds me. How would like your hair to be done?"

This was an odd question for Tulip. She didn't consider that question as she usually did a ponytail for her long hair. She could leave it the way it was, but she needed to change it to keep up appearances, lest she give off the impression that she didn't care about her wedding.

"Um..."

Fortunately, Bailey had an idea as she looked over to Chad.

"Actually, I think I know a good style for her."

Bailey leaned to Chad's ear and whispered to him for a moment. When she was finished, Chad became very impressed.

"Hey, yeah. That can work. And it'll go great with the dress, too."

Tulip, being out of the loop, became confused.

"Uh, what would?"

Bailey went over to Tulip as she gave her a smile.

"You'll see."

"Except I can't. It's hard to tell how I look without a reflection."

Bailey took notice of a blank mirror on her left and became puzzled before she remembered what Tulip did for her. She gave her her own life. That meant she won't be able to stand in anymore...

"Oh... right. You gave your reflection her own life."

"Yep. Sorry for making it difficult for you guys..."

Despite the situation, however, Chad didn't think anything of it.

"Oh, it's not that difficult. We just won't use this mirror."

"But how else am I supposed to see how I look?"

"More often than not, the eyes are a window to the soul."

With that, Chad flew towards an object covered in a white cloth before pulling it off to reveal a large porcelain mirror.

"It's a good thing we got one that can show you that window."

Tulip didn't see how it would help as Chad led Tulip to it.

"But how is this mirror gonna help?"

"Because, it's not just a mirror. Ask it anything, and it'll show you."

Tulip, being cautious about the results, looked to the other mirror and began to ask her question.

"Okay. Um... can you show me how I look right now?"

In accordance with her question, the blank mirror transformed into the background she stood in. And even better, it showed her how she'd looked right now, even without her reflection. Needless to say, she was plenty surprised.

"Wow... I do look beautiful. Thanks, Chad. I really appreciate it right now."

Chad gave a smile to her as he spoke.

"I'm just glad I could help. Now, what do you say we try out that new hairstyle?"

Tulip looked back to Chad with a smile as she answered.

"Bring it on."

* * *

Meanwhile, in his dressing room, while he stood in front of a mirror, Bryce was dressed up in his own outfit that Des showed him and Tulip earlier, and his hair was slicked back as well. And as opposed to Tulip's, his Cupid assistant was more strict. Etiquette seemed to be everything to him. Whether it was bowing or even dancing, its all he talked about.

"Moving on to proper bowing techniques. We will be covering both Occidental and Asian styles."

"Uh, permission to speak?"

"Granted."

"Not that I mind, but what does any of that have to do with the marriage, Charlie?"

"Well, you only get one chance at a first impression, Mr. Gideon. And I suggest you make it the best it can be. Or else, you'll end up spiraling down the black hole of failure for the rest of your life, like that arrogant delinquent SIMON LAURENT!"

His momentary outburst caught Bryce off-Guard before Charlie cleared his throat and spoke.

"My apologies. But surely, you understand how important it is."

Just then, Charlie and Bryce heard a knock on the door before the Cupid responded.

"Who is it?"

Penny took the opportunity to answer from the door.

"It's Penny. Can we come in?"

Charlie looked over to Bryce with a smile as he whispered to him.

"See? Even she knows that. Uh, do come in!"

Penny opened the door and walked in with Ava and Rexy to notice Bryce in his tuxedo, and with his hair slicked back, too. She couldn't believe it was the same brother that adopted her. It was almost like he was a new man.

"Wow... you look so cool!"

Bryce smiled at Penny as she, Ava, and Rexy went in.

"Thanks, Penny. Now that you mention it, I do kinda look like a secret agent."

Charlie knew otherwise as he spoke.

"Far from it. You look like a fine gentleman. And so, I think it best that you at least act like one. The basics should be enough."

Bryce didn't find it helpful, but it was reassuring that he'd go easy on him with the basics.

"Thanks. I'll do my best, Charlie."

"See that you do. And nothing _but_ the best. Because anything less..."

"...is inexcusable. I know."

"Good. Now, I think you've earned yourself a brief reprieve before the ceremony. I hope you'll bear in mind what I've taught you."

Charlie then flew out of the dressing room before turning to see Rexy in his outfit and became astonished as he made a short gasp before doing a curtsey and promptly flying out of the room, speaking to himself before Ava spoke up.

"Oh, that was close..."

"Well, someone's a little uptight."

Suddenly, they heard a thud behind them, as well as a short yell. Both came from Bryce as he had his hand tensed into a fist that came down on the dresser. Penny grew worried over that as she hadn't seen him that upset since the Fear Car.

"Bryce, are you okay?"

Bryce was trying to calm himself down as he took his breath, but as he tried to answer, she could tell he was struggling.

"How can I be okay... when my best isn't enough?"

Rexy assumed quickly that Charlie was putting too much pressure on Bryce to be perfect.

"Was that Charlie guy giving you that hard a time?"

"No, Rexy. It's not that... it's just—"

Bryce was about to finish, but he didn't have the strength to talk about it. He only let out a sigh before he spoke softly to Penny.

"Penny... can I talk to you? Just you?"

Penny wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but from the sound of it, she could tell he needed help.

"Okay."

Cautiously, she walked over to Bryce as he sat in his chair. When she got near him, she saw how sad he looked as he spoke.

"I've got something on my mind that I wanted to ask. It's been in my head the whole time we've known each other. Why would you choose me?"

"Huh? What do you mean why?"

"I mean, why would you choose me, out of all people, to look after you? Bailey told me about how your car worked, how it was supposed to help parents looking for their lost children to find them. At least, that's what Tabitha told her."

Hearing this, Penny held her head down a bit sadly as she spoke softly.

"So... you knew about that?"

"Yeah, I knew about it. But what I can't understand was why you'd choose someone like me over your dad. Didn't you want to have someone who would take you home right away, instead of going through all those terrible experiences that could've killed you?"

"Bryce—"

"Didn't you?"

His voice came a bit sharp and loud, but not loud enough to qualify as an outburst. All the same, Penny had to be honest with him.

"I guess..."

"Then why did you choose me?! I could've saved you the trouble of getting mixed up in that mess at all!"

Penny was caught off-guard by his shouting. But she didn't run away. She knew how hurt he was the way Tulip knew. She didn't know how, but she could tell. When Bryce tried to speak again, he couldn't hold back the hurt or tears in his voice.

"Just like I could've saved my parents... but I didn't. I'm not enough. And I probably never will be..."

Bryce buried his head in his arms as he began to sob before Penny tapped on his shoulder before he sniffled and tried to speak up as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to dump all this on you... C-Can we just forget it?"

However, Penny had a different answer as she sat on his lap.

"I don't wanna forget. I wanna help."

Penny leaned to her brother's chest as he held his arms around her and took his breath. After a moment, Penny spoke softly to him.

"Before you came, I didn't know anything about my dad or my mom. But when I watched all the other kids get adopted by their parents and go home... I guess I wanted to see my parents again, whoever they were. Anyone else wasn't enough for me. But I didn't think about that when I didn't go. I was just a kid. And then you came. I wanted to go away like before, but you did something that made me think different. You waited for me. And when you did... I didn't see a stranger. I saw something... familiar."

"Familiar?"

"Yeah. It made me remember someone, but I didn't know who. I guess that's why I went to you, so I could hold on to that, and figure out the rest."

Penny then gave a small smile and a short laugh before she spoke again.

"A lot of good that did, though. All those months on the train with you, and I still couldn't figure it out. But then, I saw my daddy's tape, right before you got caught by the Scarecrows. He was just like you. So hard and tough, but he was gentle and patient, too. Maybe that's why I chose you. Because you reminded me of my daddy."

Penny then began to hug him as she began to shed tears of her own, though she tried her best not to cry as she sniffled.

"Bryce... nobody could take my dad's place. *sniffle* But I just want you to know that... *sniffle* that you are enough. At least for me. I promise... *sniffle*"

Bryce couldn't help it. His own tears returned as he began to hug Penny back.

"Thanks, Penny. It means the whole world to me. Well, besides Tulip, but you know."

Penny then smiled back to him, crying tears of joy as she laughed a bit while Bryce did the same before they closed their eyes, wanting this moment to last a little longer. And, they were, of course, unaware that Bryce's number was changing as well until it stopped at the number "2".

* * *

Meanwhile, in Tulip's dressing room, Chad was hard at work on her hair. He was told to do it exactly as Bailey requested. The design wasn't quite what Tulip anticipated, but as Chad worked on it, the more Tulip began to see her point, even as Chad finished up.

"And here it is! The perfect hairstyle for such a beautiful occasion."

Tulip looked in the magic mirror and was astonished. Her hairstyle now consisted of a semi-loose hair bun with a slight curl up on the sides. She'd never looked so beautiful before. Even Tulip couldn't believe she was the same person.

"Whoa... I look... so amazing."

Bailey felt it was to be expected as she smiled.

"Right? If you're gonna get married, you gotta look your best."

Tulip smiled at her hairstyle as Chad spoke.

"Well, she's right. I think it's a great look for you."

"I'll bet Bryce would be surprised to see me like... like this."

Tulip had a moment of silence as she held her head down before Chad took notice of her discomfort.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Sorry. I do."

"Then, why don't you look happy?"

Tulip took a sigh as she answered.

"I just... remembered something I didn't want to. That's all."

Bailey felt bad for her as she turned to Chad while Sad One spoke.

"I think she's gonna bail..."

Bailey took the opportunity to and speak to Chad.

"Hey, Chad. Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Oh, sure. I did what I needed to do anyway."

"And we're grateful for that. Thanks."

"My pleasure."

Chad then took his leave through the door before Bailey turned back to Tulip.

"Are you sure you're okay, Tulip? I thought we were trying to get the exit."

"Well, we are. But it's... it's a little more personal to me, too."

"Really? How so?"

Tulip looked up to Bailey as Atticus and One-One went up closer.

"Well, Bailey, you might not have known, but the truth is... my parents were divorced. They used to be happy together, but while I got older, they started fighting. And it got worse... And when they decided to give each other some space, they ended up getting divorced after that. I wasn't happy with their decision."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. It must've been hard for you."

"Yeah. I mean, after a few months, they started talking to each other, but I couldn't get over it. And it got worse when I couldn't go to OshKosh. It was part of the contract when I got my grades up, long story. Anyway, I ran away and decided to go there myself. Then, I ended up on this train, and... and that's how I met your daughter and Bryce."

Bailey couldn't find a way to connect that with what she didn't want to remember as she spoke.

"Well, considering how well they've gotten along for you, I'm having a hard time figuring out why it's bothering you."

"Trust me, Bailey. It _is_ bothering me. I didn't get to ask my parents how they met each other, or what drive them away in the first place. I didn't care enough to ask. What if... what if our story ended up the same way? I know it's ridiculous to ask, but even if it is a pretend marriage, it just— somehow it's scaring me to death."

Bailey sighed in sympathy before she spoke.

"Tulip, I know you're worried that you'd end up like your parents. But are you sure you're going about it the right way? I mean, you're—"

"Too young to get married. I know. But at this point, what choice do I have?"

Bailey took a deep sigh, seeing how worried she is. She didn't think it was right to marry so soon, but at the same time, she didn't want Tulip to be miserable. That's when she had a different idea.

"Well, I can't stop you from getting married. I mean, at least until the 'hold your peace' thing, but you know what I mean. If you really think it'll make you happy, then I won't stand in the way of that. But I think you should at least tell him how you feel. Just like I should at least give you some tips."

This confused Tulip while intriguing One-One.

"Oh! Wedding tips! Those are very useful."

"Tell that to the divorce rates..."

"Tips? Like what?"

"Well, like... dancing for example."

"Dancing? You mean, like, slow dancing?"

As Bailey answered Tulip, she began to blush while recalling her private moments with Aiden.

"Yep. Good thing I know a thing or two about it. And on the side, a bit of dirty dancing, too... Ahem! But for now, we'll just cover the slow dancing."

Tulip wasn't sure how well that would work out. She wasn't exactly a good dancer back at school. It was about as embarrassing as her singing, she felt like. Tulip wasn't sure if it'd be more embarrassing to do that or the aforementioned "dirty dancing".

"Uh, I'm not sure if I should..."

"Alright, but just so you know, you're also gonna have kids eventually. And, let's face it: do you really wanna know about puberty?"

Tulip immediately blushed badly as she quickly answered in panic.

"Okay, I'll practice the dance!"

Bailey gave a small giggle before she replied.

"That's what I thought. I'll lead."

She held her hand out for Tulip to take it. She was hesitant at first, but she wasn't in the mood to talk about puberty. She took her hand before she stood up and let her hand be guided by Bailey's until they were hanging in the air on Tulip's right side. Then, Bailey placed her open hand on Tulip's hip. Tulip couldn't hide her blush as she moaned embarrassedly before Bailey spoke.

"It'll be okay, Tulip. Just pretend that I'm Bryce place your hand on my shoulder, okay?"

"Are you kidding? It'll make it worse...!"

"Listen, we're just going over the poses, okay. So don't worry."

"But how can I not worry? Even if I do get it right, I wouldn't even know where to step."

"Oh. That's all? That part's easy. You just have to let him lead."

Tulip looked to her right hand and saw what she meant. Bailey's hand was gentle as it held hers. And knowing Bryce, it might as well be just as gentle, if not more so. Cautiously, Tulip put her left hand on Bailey's shoulder before she spoke.

"Great. Now, I'll step backwards and you follow, and vice versa. Got it?"

"Uh, y-yeah."

With that, Tulip and Bailey began to slow dance, doing exactly the plan that Bailey told her. The more they danced, the more she became used to it. And as luck would have it, Tulip began to see how easy it was. All the while, Atticus and One-One were impressed as the robot spoke first.

"Oh, my. Can you believe how light on her feet she is?"

"Truly, she has become a paragon of beauty and grace."

"Hey, you're right, Bailey. This is pretty easy."

"I told you so."

With that, Tulip and Bailey stopped their dancing before the latter spoke up, hoping she can remember.

"So, you know what to do from here?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Bailey."

"I'm just glad I can help. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still think it's too soon. But I want you to be happy, too."

Tulip gave her a smile before Chad came in the room with news.

"Hey, guys! Des told me to tell you the ceremony's getting started in ten minutes!"

Tulip felt it was a bit fast, but at least it gave her some time to get ready.

"Cool. Thanks, Chad."

With the ceremony underway, Bailey began to stretch her arms as she spoke to Tulip.

"Well, guess I'll see you in a few minutes."

She began to walk with Atticus and One-One. But before she could get out, Tulip piped up.

"Hey, Bailey?"

Bailey stopped at the door before turning to her.

"Yeah?"

Tulip was a bit hesitant to ask as a blush came over her face.

"Uh... any chance I can see that dirty dancing you were talking about?"

This piqued Bailey's interest as she gave a small smirk before she replied.

"Okay. But only for a few minutes. It is your wedding, after all."

Bailey went inside the room before promptly closing the door.

* * *

Later, Bryce, Ava, Rexy, Atticus, and One-One were at the gazebo, and the banners were now decorated with the words, "Congratulations to Tulip and Bryce" with their faces beside the words. And to add to it, Penny was spreading flowers all over the carpet that laid in-between the fold-out chairs as she walked on it. Like the pictures of the Wedding Cake Car, Atticus was his best man (which was fitting as he was already Man's Best Friend). As for Ava, Rexy, and One-One, they had to sit on the chairs to watch the ceremony. All the while, Bryce was getting anxious.

"What's taking Tulip so long? She knows the plan, right?"

"Patience, Bryce. I'm sure Tulip will be here in time."

Just then, Bryce heard the door open before looking to see that the door had opened. And walking out of the door was Bailey. She had a warm smile on her face as she looked at the flowers that Penny spread on the carpet before looking to her.

"You did really great, Penny."

"Thanks, mommy."

Bailey then walked over to Bryce before she stood on the opposite side of him, allowing him the opportunity to ask something of her.

"Do you know where Tulip is, Bailey?"

"You don't have to worry. She's on her way right... now."

Just as the pianist played "Here Comes the Bride", Bailey and Bryce looked over to see Tulip with a wedding veil over her face as she held a bouquet of Tulips in her hands. One-One especially took notice of the bouquet and became easily impressed.

"Wow... so that's what Tulips are."

"I knew that Daisy wasn't enough..."

Tulip stepped onward to the gazebo as Bryce, Bailey, and the pastor looked on before she stood in front of him. When Bryce removed the veil, he was amazed to see Tulip's new look as she smiled at him.

"How do I look?"

"Uh... beautiful."

Bryce let out a short, small laugh of eagerness as Tulip replied.

"Thanks. I had a feeling you'd be surprised."

After a moment, the pastor began to speak.

"Today is a day you will always remember. Truly, the greatest in anyone's life. You'll start off the day as just two people in love, and you'll end it as Husband and Wife. It's a brand new beginning, the start of a new journey with moments to cherish and treasure. And although, there'll be times when you both disagree, those times will surely be outweighed by the pleasure of each other's company. You'll have heard many words of advice in the past when the secrets of marriage were spoken. But you know that the answers lie hidden inside, where the bond of true love lies unbroken. So, live happy forever as lovers and friends. It's the dawn of a new life for you as you stand there together with love in your eyes from the moment you whisper, 'I love you.' And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real."

Amidst his speech, Rexy was beginning to shed tears as he sobbed before he blew his nose on a handkerchief from his suit as the pastor carried on.

"Ohh, I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry!"

"May success find its way to your hearts. Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys, but today is the day it all starts."

Evidently, Rexy wasn't the only one in tears. Des was just as moved by his speech before the pastor turned to the bride.

"Ah! Beautiful and moving speech as always, Gregor."

"That being said, if anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

This made Tulip a bit anxious. Bailey was against this whole thing from the beginning. And she said that she wouldn't stand in the way of that in the dressing room, but Tulip didn't know if she could believe that, even with what she taught her. To be sure, she looked behind her to see Bailey, seeing her smile back at her with a nod, reassuring Tulip as she smiled back before Gregor spoke to the bride.

"Very well. Do you, Tulip Olsen, take Bryce Gideon to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him, for as long as you both shall live?"

Tulip gave a soft smile to him as she spoke.

"I do."

Gregor nodded with his own smile before turning to Bryce.

"And do you, Bryce Gideon, take Tulip Olsen, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?"

Bryce looked towards Tulip and gave a big smile to her as he considered it. Even if the marriage was fake, he knew that through all of this, he wouldn't have eyes on anyone else but her. Because nobody else he knew could believe his situation. And nobody else (with the exception of Penny and the others) would mean more to him than her. So, his answer was obvious.

"I do."

Gregor smiled to the two of them as he made his proclamation.

"I now pronounce this couple husband and wife!"

This caused an applause from the present group to break out as Penny smiled to them before Gregor spoke again.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Tulip and Bryce both blushed as they realized they hadn't kissed before now. While it was embarrassing, they didn't entirely get surprised from that.

"Well, I guess it had to happen eventually..."

"Yeah. So, ladies first?"

Tulip gave him a small laugh before she answered.

"Sure."

With that, Tulip and Bryce closed their eyes before the former began leaning towards Bryce's face with her mouth open before it connected with his. What resulted was a blossom of untold pleasure that neither of them had known before now. They wanted to do it longer, but they had to keep it brief for Penny's sake as they broke apart with a blush on their faces before she spoke in awe prior to Bryce.

"W-What was that? It was so..."

"Amazing."

"Yeah. You took the words right out of my mouth..."

With the ceremony over, Des clapped his hands for the two of them.

"Congratulations, you two! I'm so happy for the both of you. And now, we get to the fun part: the dancing!"

* * *

Later, the festivities of the marriage began. To celebrate, the chairs were folded and/or moved to make some space for the group to dance. For the first dance, Bryce did a fast-paced dance with Penny. He was helping her spin in a pirouette before he took her hands and began to playfully spin her around as she laughed.

"Go faster!"

As much as he wanted to oblige, Bryce kept two factors in mind: any faster than that, and he'll either end up throwing Penny like a frisbee, or he'll end up getting dizzy. Fortunately, the latter was most likely to happen as Bryce slowed down to a stop while setting Penny down. She saw how woozy he got as she checked on him.

"Are you okay?"

"Honestly... I'm a little dizzy. Ask me again in a few..."

Bryce was about to collapse to the ground, but he stopped himself from falling as he tried to get his focus back.

"Whoa! Okay. No—no more spinning for a while until I see one room..."

Penny held Bryce by his hand as she walked him out of the stage.

"It's okay. Just take a seat for a bit."

Next, Tulip was dancing in place in a silly manner, as was Atticus. She was swinging her arms near her hips in different angles and in rapid motion while Atticus was hopping on his two hind legs. As he hopped, Atticus looked to Tulip.

"What are you doing, Tulip?"

"I'm doing the floss. It's basically the only other dance I can do in this dress. What about you?"

"What does it look like? I am dancing with class and grace. Hup! Two, three, four... Hup! Two, three, four..."

Tulip found his point difficult to prove as he hopped around on his little legs before she smiled.

"Yeah, sure. You just keep doing you."

Meanwhile, Rexy and One-One were doing a break dance on the dance floor. It came easier for the latter as he bounced on his nubs like a beach ball. Rexy, on the other hand, was using his cane to do a dance routine that suggested he was performing a musical number, moving the cane farther away and then closer to him before finishing with a rousing shake of his hands.

"And... jazz hands!"

One-One applauded Rexy's performance as both of his halves critiques him.

"That was some great dancing, Rexy."

"And like I said before, dancing is scary."

"Which is a good thing, because T-Rexes are usually fearsome creatures that ruled the Earth."

"They are?"

This made Rexy gasp in realization as he thought of a new moniker to call himself.

"That's it! I'm not just Rexy the Wrecker. I am... Rexy the King of Dance!"

Later, Bryce was recovering from the vertigo as Penny waited by his side. She hasn't left since she helped find a seat for him by the punch bowl. And while she waited for it to pass, Penny was giving Bryce a cup of punch from the clouds.

"Here."

Bryce took the cup gently from her hand as he spoke to her.

"Thanks, Penny. I appreciate it."

Penny smiled to her older brother as she made a light giggle. Grateful as he was, though, he felt like she didn't need to wait for him.

"You know, you don't have to wait for me, Penny. You can go out there and dance with everyone else."

"No, it's okay. I just wanna make sure you're not alone."

Just then, as if to solve the problem, Bailey came up near Bryce and quickly assumed why he looked out of it as she spoke up to him.

"Whoa. What happened to you? Did you have too much punch lately?"

Bryce shook his head as he replied.

"No. Just too much vertigo..."

Bailey gave him a soft smile before she looked over to Penny.

"Hey, Penny. You can go dance with Ava for a bit. I'll take it from here."

"'Kay."

Penny began heading over to Ava on the dance floor before she turned to Bryce and gave him a smiling wink before continuing on. Bryce took notice of it and became confused for the moment as Bailey held her hand out to him.

"Can I have this dance?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. But let's not go too fast. I think the room's still spinning."

Bailey giggled at his answer as Bryce took her hand and began to dance with her. Keeping in mind that he's still recovering from vertigo, Bailey danced a bit slower with Bryce as they looked into each other's eyes. To him, it wasn't quite the same as dancing with Tulip, but to her, it was almost as if she was dancing with her husband. The two of them were similar, after all. Somehow, it made it a little easier for her to talk to him.

"Hey, Bryce?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I said it before, but... I wanna thank you for looking after Penny for me. It's thanks to you and Tulip that I got to see her."

Bryce and Bailey looked over to see Penny tap-dancing with Ava. She was learning it from Ava as she watched and did as she did. Perhaps, a little too well.

"Try not to go do fast, Penny!"

"I can't help it! It's so fun!"

While Penny giggled, Bryce gave a soft smile as he replied back to her.

"Well, I can't take all the credit."

"I know. I already thanked Maria for looking after since then."

"Sure, but that's not what I meant."

Bailey looked to Bryce in confusion as she listened to his explanation.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Penny made the step all by herself. She told me that she went to me because I reminded her of something familiar. She couldn't figure out what, though. Well, until she looked at Aiden's tape."

Bailey gave a light gasp from hearing this, making Bryce look over to her in surprise.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Y-You said his name... and that he had a tape."

"Well, yeah. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have been willing to help us out. And you. But tape or no tape, we shouldn't sell her short. She's a really special and brave kid."

Bailey's smile returned, though with the small tears coming from her eyes as she looked at her daughter. And those tears weren't just for her. They were for hope. With what he'd told her, Bailey knew for a certainty that Aiden must be out there somewhere. She spoke softly as she gazed to her daughter.

"I wonder where she got that from..."

Just then, the lights on the dance floor turned off before an announcer spoke through the speakers.

"It's time to mellow down and make room, everybody. Because this number goes out to the lucky couple of the day, Bryce Gideon and Tulip Olsen."

_**Play Eric Carmen Music: "All by Myself"**_

Piano music began to play as two spotlights shone on Bryce and Tulip, the both of them far away. The two of them looked to each other and the bride began to blush with a smile as Bryce returned that smile. He walked closer to Tulip before she did the same, albeit with Atticus' slight assistance as he gently nudged her legs.

"_**When I was young**_

_**I never needed anyone"**_

It wasn't long before Bryce and Tulip ended up practically in each other's faces as he spoke to her.

"You doing okay?"

"To be honest, I'm... a little bit nervous."

"We don't have to do it if you don't want to."

Tulip only took her hand with his before letting them hang on the side with her left arm on his shoulder as she spoke.

"No, it's okay. I'll just let you lead."

"_**And making love was just for fun**_

_**Those days are gone"**_

Bryce gave her a soft smile as he placed his open hand gently on her hip before the two of them began to dance across the dance floor. All the while, Bailey, Penny, Rexy, Ava, Atticus, and One-One were watching the beautiful moment while commenting on it with the robot and the Corgi speaking first.

"It makes me so happy to see Ms. Tulip and Mr. Bryce happy."

"Too bad their parents weren't around to see it."

"I, for one, am a bit jealous. If only my soul mate could've come with us."

This made Penny remember when Atticus was talking to a Golden Retriever doll back at the Arcade Car and did a light giggle before Ava became curious.

"What's so funny?"

"It's Atticus' soulmate."

Penny began whispering to Ava before she got what she was trying to say and began to laugh a bit herself.

"_**Living alone**_

_**I think of all the friends I've known"**_

"Oh, now I get it."

"I know, right?"

Then, Penny turned back to Tulip and Bryce as they held each other close while she spoke to her mother, wondering if she and her father were that close.

"Hey, mommy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Did you and dad ever dance like that together?"

"_**But when I dial the telephone**_

_**Nobody's home"**_

As the piano began to finish its interlude, Bailey began to smile again as she saw herself and Aiden dancing under the moonlight as she felt the tears beginning to emerge, but she kept them at bay as she replied.

"We did, Penny. More times than you'll ever know..."

Meanwhile, as they danced with the music beginning a rousing follow up, Bryce moved his hand up with her hand and she did a pirouette before going as far as she could while holding on to his hand before it pulled her closer to him as his other arm cradled her back. Then, Bryce dipped Tulip as she leaned back before she got back up and turned her back to him with a smile before she stepped to the side and he stepped closer to her before placing his hand back on her hip.

"_**All by myself**_

_**Don't want to be all by myself anymore"**_

From there, they danced as close as they could get while Tulip looked to him as she spoke with a smile.

"You know, I think I'm starting to like this song."

"You mean you didn't like it before?"

"Nah. I thought it was cheesy back at that Crystal Car. But now... I think I can see why people like it."

"That's what classics are known for. Sometimes, people who don't appreciate them at first usually end up coming around."

Tulip gave a gentle smile to him before she blushed while looking away a bit.

"_**All by myself**_

_**Don't want to live all by myself anymore"**_

_**End Eric Carmen Music: "All by Myself"**_

It wasn't long before the dancing was over as the lights came back on the dance floor with Tulip and Bryce looking to each other on the dance floor before Des tapped on the microphone.

"Okay, everyone. Can you all step into the dance floor, please?"

The group all turned to Des with Bailey, Ava, Rexy, Penny, Atticus, and One-One stepping into the dance floor as Des spoke to them.

"First off, I just wanna congratulate the happy couple on their wedding. Give it up for them, will you please?"

As Charlie, Gregor, Chad, and the bellhop applauded them, Tulip and Bryce gave a smile to Des as they held their hands before he spoke again.

"And secondly, we will now commence with the Honeymoon segment. As per Cupid's Arrow custom, the happy couple can decide to take the exit to the next car..."

Des then gestured to the exit door that they've been searching for as a spotlight came on it. Next, he gestured to the heart-shaped door as he spoke while a spotlight cane on it as well.

"Or, they can take the other door to the Lovebirds' Nest. A very special room for two people who love each other just that much. Of course, if you happen to choose the exit door, you're welcome to come back before the next day. So, which door will you pick?"

Tulip and Bryce looked to each other with a smile, each of them certain about which door that they'd take before Tulip spoke.

"Well, it's nice of you to offer, Des. But I think we'll take the exit for now."

Des then took a small sigh of slight disappointment. In truth, though, he was half-expecting it.

"Of course, you would. It's almost always what they choose, anyway. But don't forget, you're welcome to come back anytime."

Bryce and Tulip began to blush as the former replied to him.

"Uh, we'll keep that in mind..."

With that, Bryce went over to the door with the others following close behind him before Penny took notice of the monitor above the door.

"Guys, look!"

The group looked up above the door to see the monitor. It was showing many of the moments they had in this car. One of them included the time when Penny was being hugged by her older brother in the dressing room. It was in that moment when Bryce took notice of his own number. He hadn't looked at it since the Chrome Car, so for him to see it now was a surprise as he checked back on it along with Tulip.

"Hey, your number's changed, Bryce!"

"Yeah. But when?"

In the next moment shown from the monitor's slideshow, it also showed Bailey when she was teaching Tulip how to dance as the mother spoke up.

"Hey, that's when I taught Tulip how to dance!"

Thirdly, it showed the time when Atticus was dancing beside Tulip on his hind legs, earning quite a laughter from Penny, Ava, and Rexy as they spoke.

"Lookit! Look at Atticus' paws!"

"Well, he certainly seems happy!"

"Does his majesty want a treat?"

Their comments inadvertently made Atticus blush as he spoke.

"Is my dancing that silly?"

The next clip in the slideshow, however, made Atticus feel a little better as he took note of how he looked with the cane and jazz hands combo. So much so, in fact, that he joined in on Penny and Ava's laughter, making Rexy take offense to it quickly as he turned to Atticus.

"Hey! That's the King of Dance you're laughing at!"

"Oh, yes! A King of Dance, indeed!"

It was Rexy's turn to blush as he spoke to them passively while Atticus and the others laughed.

"Aw, whatever. You people just don't understand my moves like I do."

Then, it finally showed Tulip and Bryce when they were saying their vows before, during, and after they kissed. The two of them blushed from the pictures as they looked to each other. And then, at the end of the slideshow, it showed the following words, "Thank you for staying at Cupid's Arrow!" Not long after, that, the door made and unlocking sound, gesturing to the group that it was able to be opened again. As Bryce opened the door, the bellhop held a bag of their original clothes and handed it to Bailey as he spoke to them.

"Thank you for your stay at Cupid's Arrow. I hope you will have pleasant memories from here on out."

"Uh, thanks. You, too."

As the group began to leave the car, Tulip turned back to Des and spoke to him.

"Hey, Des? Thanks for everything. I wasn't into it at first, but it really helped me get close to him."

Upon being complimented, Des made a happy smile as he spoke to her.

"Aw, you're welcome. It's what we do."

Des then made a wink to Tulip, confusing her for a moment before she caught on.

"Wait... was this whole marriage thing fake?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But hey, you kids are growing and getting wiser. And if that's all that matters, how can it be fake?"

Tulip began to see the wisdom in his logic as she spoke.

"I... guess that makes sense. But what about Grace and Simon? Did they know?"

"Oh, Grace, for sure. She got it all figured out. I like her. But that Simon character? Oh, boy, he was so maaaad, he practically trashed the place until Grace kissed him. Ah, that makes me laugh every time I think about it..."

Tulip raised an eyebrow, feeling he was getting off-topic.

"But..."

"But, to make a long story short, eh... it's 50/50 that guy even has a chance of going home. But ultimately, whether he goes or not, it's up to him to choose a better life. A good way to do that is through honesty. Can't make that rule up."

Tulip recalled the image on the picture of Grace and Simon that Des gave her earlier before looking ahead to Bryce as she spoke softly to herself.

"No, you can't..."

It wasn't long before Tulip got out the door next as Des bade her farewell.

"Well, anyway, I hope you kids have fun out there."

Tulip nodded to him as she walked out of the door before it closed. For the moment, the group was still standing out in front of the new door in front of them, and it was open, revealing a graph-chart like car that had lines and arrows that either supported or went through them. They must've been waiting for her since she decided to chat one more time with Des.

"Hey, thanks for waiting, guys. You didn't have to do that."

Bailey went up to Tulip as she replied.

"No, it's alright. It is your big day."

This made Tulip blush a bit before she went near her and began to whisper.

"So, are you gonna tell him about how you really feel?"

"Maybe... I don't know. I don't know how to tell him."

Bailey gave her a small smile as she replied before turning to the others.

"I think I know how to fix that. Hey, guys. I think it's time we got dressed back in our old clothes. Women, children, and denizens can go first. I'll go in with Penny, Ava, Rexy, One-One, and Atticus. Tulip and Bryce can stay out on the bridge for a bit."

Bryce understood immediately. It's only fair that they get the chance to dress up. Although, he didn't know why Tulip was being left out.

"Okay. But why can't Tulip come with you?"

"Oh, when you guys dress up, it's gonna be between you two."

This earned mad blushes from Tulip and Bryce as they replied simultaneously.

"Bailey!"

"Come on, guys. I didn't say you had to look. Relax. Anyway, see you in a few. Come on, everyone."

Bailey huddled everyone into the door as Rexy felt that caution was to be issued concerning his outfit.

"Hey, try not to push so much, okay? This outfit is dry clean only."

With most of the group already in the other car, Tulip and Bryce looked to each other as they spoke softly, feeling a bit awkward to be put in that position despite their "marriage".

"So... guess it's just the two of us?"

"Yeah. It looks that way."

The two sat down near the edge and looked out at the wasteland that surrounded them. For such a desolate place, they didn't expect it to be so... peaceful. Maybe not as peaceful as the birds chirping back home, but it held a certain mystique. After a moment, Tulip began to speak to him.

"Hey, Bryce? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

She was about to speak, but she hesitated for a moment before making a deep breath and resuming her words.

"Well... do you remember what I said back there? That a part of me really did want to marry you?"

"Yeah."

"Thing is, I may have said it to keep Des happy, but... I totally meant it."

Bryce began to blush deeply as he felt that she out of all people would know how wrong it was to be married so soon.

"Wait. You're saying... you didn't care about the exit before?"

"I did. But there was more to it. After what Des said about either being married or not, it made me remember what I said to my parents before they divorced."

"So, what did that have to do with our 'marriage'?"

"Pretty much how I felt. When you said it wouldn't work, and I'm not blaming you for that, it made me think. What if we end up just like my parents? What if we loved each other for a while, but then we drift apart and end up... alone? I just didn't want that to happen..."

Bryce's blush faded as his understanding came upon his face and he tried to reassure her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Tulip, that couldn't happen to us."

"It's easy for you to say. For all I know, your parents might as well have a perfect love story. You may think it can go like that, Bryce. But the truth is, there's no such thing. Not even for your parents..."

Bryce's face softened as he gently placed his hand under her chin before turning her face to his and then gently placing it on the side of her face.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe nobody has a prefect love story. In fact, there were a few times that my parents argued like yours did. But at the end of the day, they still loved each other, because they knew each other. I'm willing to bet your parents knew each other, too. They may not have been happy together like the way you wanted. But in some way, I know they are happy together still, because they had you. Love and relationships? These things take time and risk to find that right person. And it may not always work out, but it's the best thing you could do in your life. Same goes for trust, too. And right now, there's no one else that I trust more than you, Tulip."

When he finished his moving speech, Tulip began to shed tears of joy as she smiled, trying hard not to sob as she replied.

"Bryce... I... I trust you, too."

Bryce smiled back as he wiped her tears away.

"That's good."

The two of them looked to each other's eyes, staring into each other for a moment before they leaned closer while they closed their eyes and opened their mouths before gently pressing them together. While they kissed, they held their arms around each other and gently caressed each other's bodies before moving away to break the kiss as a blush came over them, neither of them willing to hide it. After a moment, Bailey's voice spoke out behind them, causing them to turn around to see the gang back in their old clothes.

"Hey, you guys! You can get dressed now!"

Tulip and Bryce turned to each other before the latter smiled as he spoke.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

The two of them walked into the car as they each held their hands before the door closed behind them and turned the doorknob.

**A/N: So, what do you think? If you have any positive comments or feedback, feel free to review and/or P.M. me. If not, then keep it to yourself and don't ruin it for everyone else. And in case you were wondering about the Cupids' voices, they are listed as such below.**

**Henry Winkler – Des**

**Bellhop – Dwight Schultz**

**Chad – Kevin McDonald**

**Charlie – Kevin Michael Richardson**

**Gregor – Graham McTavish**

**And also, I'll work on a lemon chapter for Tulip and Bryce, but only after I finish the rest of my story. But so you know, it'd take place between the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next one. And keeping in mind the tones of love and the darker themes, the rating in the next book may diverge from a T rating, meaning it's a 50/50 chance it may be intended for a mature audience, but it is definite that my version of Book Three will be rated M for the aforementioned darker theme. That being said, I wish for anyone reading this to please watch Infinity Train legally on HBO Max so we can save the show and get a renewal for Book 4. We all must know what happens to Hazel.**


	18. The Ball Pit Car

**A/N: And here it is, the dreaded and infamous Ball Pit Car. Now, like I said, this would be the storm of my story. And it will be very heavy. Those of you with weak constitutions, I suggest you refrain from reading this if you don't wish to be triggered.**

**Act III - Chapter XVII:** The Ball Pit Car

Today was the first day of the rest of their lives. Or at least, it was meant to be. As it turned out, their "marriage" was only a figment created for them to learn their lessons. Of course, it didn't mean it was fake. The moments they shared together were real. Their first kiss was proof of that. And that was just one of the previous moments they've had.

Every moment before that was just as real, from the first time they met up until now. And they made each one of them count, especially their most recent moment together. While everyone else fell asleep, Tulip and Bryce headed back to the Matchmaking Car to try out the Lovebirds' Nest after the latter was persuaded. He wasn't sure about it at first, but Tulip assured him that if he was ready to take that step, she'd take it with him. And he did.

With that step, the two of them grew closer than ever. They trusted each other with their bodies, their hearts, and their souls. Beyond that, what happens in the Lovebirds' Nest stays in the Lovebirds' Nest. Coincidentally, it just so happened to be it's policy. The two of them stuck to it; neither of them were sure how their parents would take it.

The next morning, Tulip woke up to find herself in the resting area of the Graph Chart Car. It held a small couch that doubles as a trundle with a table and lamp combo beside it with a red chair on the adjacent side of it. And while Bryce laid next to her on the trundle, Penny was sleeping on Bailey's lap alongside Ava with Atticus and Rexy sleeping at their feet with the dinosaur inadvertently brushing Atticus' fur backwards and One-One sitting on the table. She gave a soft smile as she sat up and looked to the dozing Bryce before she prodded his forehead.

"Come on, big guy. Wake up."

Bryce stirred from his slumber, slowly opening his eyes to see a beautiful, long, red-haired girl in front of him. She was already dressed back up in her original clothes, though her jacket wasn't on her. He smiled back at her as he sat up from the trundle.

"Morning, Tulip."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Don't know. I'm still seeing you right now."

Tulip lightly laughed at Bryce's words as she spoke.

"Come on, Bryce. I'm serious."

"So am I. I can't help it if you're in my head all the time. Not that I don't enjoy looking at you."

"Well, that's nice of you to say. Must've had a good time sleeping, then."

"You bet."

Tulip got up off of the couch to pick up her glasses from the table beside One-One, and her backpack from the floor. At the same time, Bryce got off of the couch to pick up his jacket from the chair that Penny and Ava used as a makeshift blanket just as the former yawned awake and blinked her eyes open to see Bryce and Tulip going out of the door. Next, it was Tulip's turn to yawn as she stretched herself before blowing on her glasses and wiping them clean with her own jacket before looking to her number "3" on the palm of her hand. It hadn't changed since the Chrome Car, and Bryce's own number was a tad above hers. All the better to know how far they've come since they met.

Tulip tied her hair back up into a ponytail with her black rubber band as she and Bryce sat by the edge of the red line that took them to the resting place. As they sat down, Penny got out of the door next, rubbing her eyes with her arm as she spoke in a soft moan.

"Can we eat yet? I'm getting hungry..."

Bryce smiled at her as he looked over to Tulip.

"What do you think, Tulip? Got anything for breakfast?"

"One instant breakfast, coming right up."

Tulip looked into her backpack as she shifted through it. She had a handful packed before she got on the train, and with what they endured these past four months, she knew it was handy to get some food to eat along the way (preferably not the living kind). Tulip got out a small bottle, a packet of chocolate powder, and a fresh container of warm milk that never turns bad (a memento from the previous Fresh Dairy Car).

Tulip opened up the bottle and opened the packet before putting the powder inside it into the bottle. Next, she poured the milk into the bottle, closed it, and shook it vigorously. After the shaking, Tulip handed Penny the bottle.

"There you go."

Penny took the bottle from her hands before she drank it. When she did, her eyes widened in awe before she swallowed it and became infatuated with it as she looked to Tulip.

"Wow! It tastes so good!"

"I know, right?"

Penny began to eagerly drink the rest of it as Bailey, Atticus, One-One, Ava, and Rexy got out of the door next. They had just woken up not long after Penny left the room. Most of them weren't as groggy as Penny earlier, with Rexy and Atticus being the exception as the latter's fur was frizzled almost beyond recognition. Almost... Bailey noticed up ahead that Penny was chugging the instant breakfast and gave a small giggle as she'd finished up the rest of the drink before she spoke.

"Someone had a good breakfast."

"Uh-huh. It's like healthy chocolate milk. At least, that's what Tulip said."

Bailey looked over to Tulip with an impressed smirk.

"I see. Well, did she think of what you should do with your teeth afterwards?"

"Already ahead of you."

To prove her point, Tulip got out her toothbrush and toothpaste from her backpack and began to brush her teeth as she hummed to herself while looking at a laminated binder that held a presentation that stated "Annual Report". It piqued her interest as Penny gave her a little nudge on her sleeve.

"Hey, Tulip? Can I brush my teeth, too? I don't wanna get cavities."

And she wasn't the only one, either. One-One wanted to be sure that he was cavity-free as well.

"Ms. Tulip, I don't wanna get cavities, either."

"Oh, of course not. Uh... I mean, I think I can cover one of you, but..."

Fortunately, Bryce knew how to handle it.

"It's alright. I'll let Penny have mine."

Bryce gave Penny a smile as he opened up a side pocket of his own backpack to get out another toothbrush before handing it to Penny. As for Tulip, she unclipped the binder before tossing out the pages it held, coating the end of it with her toothpaste and handing it to One-One before she spoke to them.

"Here you go. Don't forget to get the ones in the back."

Penny nodded to her while One-One's sad voice slightly retorted.

"Okay."

"You're not my dentist."

While Penny and One-One went to brush their teeth, Atticus and Rexy were walking up to the duo while the latter spoke.

"Honestly, I am sorry, Atticus. I wasn't trying to make you look like... that on purpose."

"I understand. There were a few witnesses that say I kick in my sleep."

Bryce and Tulip turned to the two of them as the former spoke up.

"Whoa. What happened to you, Atticus?"

"Yes, well, with Rexy's incessant backwards petting in his sleep..."

"I said I was sorry!"

"...along with the hard floors here, my fur and I seem to be having a disagreement."

Tulip again took charge of the situation as she wiped her mouth from her toothpaste.

"Well, I think it kinda suits you, but—"

She licked her hand before using it to brush his fur back into place, restoring him to normal before she spoke to the Corgi King with a smile.

"Very regal."

"I appreciate it."

As Atticus walked away from them, Bryce turned to Rexy.

"And what about you? You need anything?"

"Actually, I'm good. It's Ava you might wanna ask about."

He pointed over to Ava as she appeared down in the dumps. She was sitting over the edge of the line, appearing disconsolate as she took a sigh. Rexy explained her condition as Tulip took notice of her as well.

"She's been like this since she woke up."

Bryce had a theory about Ava's mood, turning back to Rexy as he replied.

"Well, maybe she's still trying to wake up."

"Nope. Trust me, I know what that looks like. But this? It's almost... sad."

This got Bryce and Tulip stumped for a moment before recalling how they used to be like that. Same went for Penny, too, if only for one instant. Maybe she's getting anxious about being able to find her own mother. After all, no such luck had come to her yet. But they knew just who to turn that frown upside-down. As it happened, she cane running right to them with One-One beside her as she went into her brother's arms while the robot waddled over to Tulip.

"Clean!"

"My tartar's under control!"

"I can see that."

While Penny giggled, Bryce could smell the difference as he spoke.

"And smell it, too."

With that, almost everyone was eager to go as Tulip turned to the group with One-One, Bailey, Penny, Rexy, and Atticus sounding off.

"Alright, you guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ready, Freddy."

"Ready!"

"Ditto!"

"At your command."

While they all huddled together, Bailey turned over to Ava before speaking up to her.

"Hey, Ava. You ready to go?"

Her voice snapped Ava out of her stupor as she turned behind her and spoke up.

"Huh? Oh! Yes. Sorry."

Ava joined the group with a somewhat sad expression on her face, something Penny took notice of with curiosity developing on her face just as Tulip shouted:

"I declare bankruptcy!"

Suddenly, the line plummeted down with Penny exclaiming as she went down just as fast along with them. The fall from such a height unnerved her as she was flailing before Bryce got her hand and pulled her close before setting it over his shoulder with her other hand clutching onto her hand before he jumped on the line and propelled himself further with Tulip, Atticus, Rexy, Ava, and Bailey beside him with One-One in Tulip's hand before they landed on the bottom line as the red line crashed through it and looked to the door with most of the group smiling towards the door in front of them as Penny giggled from adrenaline.

"Let's do it again!"

The group got out of the car and went out onto the bridge with Tulip leading the way. While they walked, though, Penny looked back to Ava and felt bad for her as she slowed her steps enough for Ava to walk over to her as she tried to connect with her.

"Are you okay, Ava?"

Ava wasn't as thrown off like last time, but she hardly lifted her head as she replied.

"I'm just fine, Penny. Everything's just peachy."

As Ava walked past her, Penny grabbed her hand, stopping her before she spoke.

"Then why do you look so sad? Is it about your mom?"

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Thank You, Simon (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Campfire Car)"

Ava clenched her teeth from hearing this, making Penny worried before she took a deep breath.

"I told you. I'm fine..."

Ava moved her hand away from Penny before she spoke again.

"You can talk to me, you know. I know how it felt to lose my mom. If you need me, just... just talk to me. Okay?"

Ava was silent for a moment before replying back.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Ava began walking towards the car in front of her with Penny giving a sad smile as she followed close by, unaware that Osore and the Steward were watching from on top of the car behind her. He gave a livid glare through his visor as he spoke.

"Those little fools think this train is their paradise. Well, they'll have their rude awakening soon enough, won't they?"

Osore extended his clawed fingernails as he gazed towards Penny while she closed the door behind her.

End Chrome Canyon Music: "Thank You, Simon (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Campfire Car)"

* * *

Meanwhile, Penny and Ava caught up to the others as they took off their shoes in accordance to the TV by the shoe holder shaped like numerous honeycombs. The TV showed a humanoid bumblebee with a sign above it saying, "Hey, you" before switching to a purple and yellow flashing screen with the words, "Take off your shoes!" flashing on opposition to the background's color. It wasn't long before it showed a simulation of the bumblebee with his shoes wig an arrow flashing at them as they disappeared before it showed that same bumblebee laying down and waving with the words, "Thanks, Honey!" above him. Penny and Ava looked to each other as the former spoke with a smile.

"Doesn't that bee look silly, Ava?"

"Yeah. I think that was the point."

The two of them complied with the rules as they took their own shoes off first before placing them in the shoe holder with Tulip and Bailey's backpacks on top of it as Rexy spoke.

"If you were part of the race, you'd have lost, already. Because, I don't wear shoes."

Rexy proved it as he wiggled his little toes before Penny corrected him.

"Actually, you wouldn't count because you don't wear shoes."

Ava began to laugh from Penny's comeback as she made a small snort followed by a chuckle, making Penny laugh with her as Rexy felt miffed by the comment as he grumbled, though he made a small smile as he heard Ava getting better from her sour mood. All the while, Tulip, Bryce, and Bailey looked around the car as they spoke.

"No exit in sight..."

"No map for this place, either."

"Were places like this so easy to get lost in back in your world, guys?"

Bryce turned over to her as he replied.

"Not usually."

In that moment, One-One piped up in his glad voice as he moved the net away to see a ball pit of many colored balls in front of him.

"Ms. Tulip, Mr. Bryce, look at all these mums!"

Tulip and Bryce smiled at him before looking to each other and winking to each other before they started to jokingly apply pressure on him with her going first.

"I guess we could just stand here, not moving, and give a real hard look."

As expected, it was more than One-One can handle as he began to get anxious. Bryce player with him next as he spoke.

"Yep. Just standing out here on the floor, where we won't be distracted. Without moving, mind you."

It was getting harder and harder for One-One to resist as his nub was trying to reach into the other side and take the plunge before Tulip spoke.

"Or, I suppose we could take a quick break to—"

Suddenly, Penny cut her off short with her, Atticus, and Ava running towards the ball pit and leaping through the net as they exclaimed before Tulip, Bryce, Rexy, One-One, and Bailey leaped through it next and landed in the Ball Pit next. While Atticus picked up a blue ball in his mouth and played with it, Penny popped out of the pit, roaring with laughter as One-One swam in the pit while Ava waded over to Penny, laughing just as much as she was while Rexy got a bunch of the balls in his mouth and shot them out like cannons as Bailey, Bryce, and Tulip looked around. Of course, the last of the trio spoke as Bailey and Bryce looked to her.

"Now, this is the kind of thing I'm gonna miss when I get home."

"Wait. Weren't you trying to get to OshKosh before, whatever that is?"

Tulip had a semi-sad look on her face as she spoke.

"Well, I mean, I was trying to get to Game Design Camp. But... it's over. Now I just... kinda wanna go home?"

Tulip then looked over to see Penny and Ava playing together as the latter was tickling her senseless, making her laugh.

"Haha! You are powerless before my ticklers!"

"Oh, stop! Stop, I surrender!"

Tulip gave a small smile to them before turning to Bryce.

"So, any idea what you're gonna do when you get back home?"

Bryce looked over to Tulip as he replied.

"Well, first thing I'm gonna do when I get back is turn the money back into the bank and... and maybe turn myself in."

This made Tulip worried as she made a shocked gasp. She knew that Bryce doesn't have much to come back to other than retaliation. Why would he turn himself in?

"But what about all the trouble you'll get into? Don Romero isn't gonna let that go, and... and it'll break your parents' hearts, won't it?"

"I already broke their hearts when I stole that money for them, Tulip."

Tulip hung her head down with a sigh. She had to admit he wasn't wrong. Her own heart was broken for a while when she found out what he did. But she was able to put it behind her. Who knows if his family ever could?

"Besides, I'm sure I'll find a way to help my parents out. And who knows? With how long we've been gone, Romero and his men won't even think of going after me; he'd think I'm dead by now. And more than that, it's worth it if it'll help my family see that I'm not a bad person. Just a good man."

Tulip gave him a gentle smile as she spoke back with a nod.

"I can respect that. It's the same reason I wanna go back; to be a better person for my parents, for Mikayla, and... well, pretty much everyone I ever met."

Bryce smiled back to her as he replied.

"As far as I'm concerned, you already are."

Tulip began to blush towards him before she started to laugh and Bryce joined in with her a few seconds after. When their laughter was done, she looked up almost to the ceiling as she spoke to herself before Bryce held onto her hand and he finished her sentence.

"Well... we've got a long road ahead of us when we get back home..."

"But every step's gonna be worth it."

"Yeah."

After a moment, Tulip widened her eyes as she came to realize something; throughout their whole endeavor, they didn't get to ask each other about their phone numbers.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I didn't get to ask earlier. Can I... get your number?"

Bryce began to blush himself as he realized the same thing.

"Uh, sure! If I can get yours, too. I might need it."

Tulip smiled to him as she got her phone out and showed it to him as she spoke while Bryce got his own phone out to show Tulip his own number and she typed it in.

"Fair enough. But why would you say it like that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just the fact that I might be put in jail or witness protection."

Just as Tulip finished typing his number on her phone, she gave him a punch on the shoulder as she spoke to him with a slight laugh.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Then, as Bryce typed Tulip's number into his phone, she looked down to Atticus with a soft smile before she spoke gratefully.

"Hey, Atticus? Thanks for sticking with us through all this."

Atticus turned back to her, spitting out his ball as he replied back.

"A king needs to avenge the wrongs committed against his kingdom. Turning a blind eye to what that monster did isn't an option. And the same should go for Osore and Night Shroud, assuming she survived."

"But, you don't need us for that. We've got a lot of stuff going on, stuff that you don't have to deal with."

Atticus flipped himself back up before he continued.

"Tulip, everything we've dealt with, we have dealt with as a team. I have never questioned our alliance or friendship, the latter of which I value more."

Tulip knelt down and brushed Atticus by his head as she replied to him softly, only to earn Atticus' correction.

"Thanks, Atticus. You're a good boy."

"I'm a good man."

Bryce smiled at him as he scratched under his chin while he interjected.

"Right. Of course, you are."

Meanwhile, Penny, Ava, One-One, and Rexy were enjoying themselves as they played in the ball pit; well, that is, everyone for the moment. Penny was "splashing" them up with glee as Ava's own joy was beginning to diminish as she began to think how happy she was in comparison to her. As her face started to burrow into a frown, Penny took notice and tried to get to the bottom of her mood. She was sure that playing with her was working; maybe it did, but it wasn't a permanent solution. If there was ever a time to talk, it had to be now.

"Ava, are you sure you're okay?"

She didn't answer, refusing to look up as she turned away for a moment before Penny tried again.

"You can talk to us, Ava. We're here for you."

Ava looked up to her, somewhat jealous of her as she replied almost dismally.

"It's easy for you to say. You have your mother. But what about me? I haven't had any luck whatsoever finding her. Who knows if she's even there at all?"

Penny waded over to Ava as she answered for her.

"The Conductor would. Isn't it the whole point?"

Ava took a deep sigh as she spoke to her.

"Yes, but... look, I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"But I do, though. We're still looking for my daddy, too. Did you forget?"

This made Ava blush a bit as she spoke embarrassedly.

"Oh, right. My mistake. But the point is, you of all people should understand how personal it is to me."

* * *

As Ava spoke, she recalled a small town that had many stone-like buildings with palm trees and various dinosaurs of all types, be it carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore as they carried on the way people usually did. For instance, there was a Velociraptor with rough red skin wearing a tag around his neck as he ran a marathon around the field. Another case showed a humanoid triceratops wearing football attire rushing at a dummy and knocking it down at the center of the grassy field as it showed a green T-Rex walking out of the stoney school building and out to the sidewalk while Ava narrated.

"Truth is, I wasn't lucky enough to be born and raised in the Orphanage Car like you were. I ended up... somewhere else."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, causing her to lose her balance a bit, but the female T-Rex held herself steady with her large legs before noticing a bizarre sight from the faraway forest: a huge robot in a dark cloak with a red wave across its dome far away. The sight spooked her at first, but then, she noticed the robot was carrying something. It was something swaddled up in a pink blanket. When the robot walked away, the T-Rex went after it. A few moments after, she got in the middle of the forest, though too late to catch up to the robot. But, she did hear crying close by. The female went to check it out as Ava continued speaking to Penny.

"The mother who raised me told me about how she saw a giant robot in her car."

"A giant robot?"

"Yes. And by the time she caught up to it, it was already gone. But I wasn't. That's when she found me."

The female looked around for the source, peeking through a bush to see a pink blanket moving around near a nest of eggs. She went closer towards the blanket and took notice of what was inside: a young baby girl with the word, "Ava" inscribed in bright red on the blanket. She gasped in surprise at the sight of it as it didn't appear to resemble any dinosaur she ever knew in this car. But, she knew it needed comfort as she shushed it gently, before speaking softly.

"You'll be okay. Mommy's gonna look after you."

The infant Ava settled down as she began to be soothed by her voice. So much so, in fact, that she began to fall asleep. The female then picked up the blanket with her teeth and began to walk with the swaddled baby in tow as Ava continued.

"Since then, I was raised by the people who lived in the Tiny Dinosaur Car. At the time, though, I didn't even know it was a train car. Still, it was fairly obvious that I wasn't like the others."

In the later years that followed, it showed Ava as an impressionable young girl who was infatuated with Rexy's teeth as he showed them in the mirror after brushing them. Ava followed his lead and took notice of how dull they were, at least in comparison to Rexy's teeth.

"My teeth weren't as sharp..."

Next, it showed her adoptive mother having trouble reaching the sewing kit from the shelf with her short arms before the now slightly older Ava reached it for her and picked it up.

"My arms were longer... but the main thing was this:"

Next, it showed the now current Ava surrounded by other dinosaurs in a classroom (ranging from, but not limited to, T-Rex to Triceratops) as a Troodon wearing glasses and a tweed jacket spoke.

"Now, can anyone tell me what is on the top of the Dinosaur hierarchy and what their names mean?"

Ava was quick to raise her hand before the Troodon Teacher called to her.

"Yes, Ava?"

"That would be the T-Rex. And the full name of it is 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' which means 'King of the Tyrant Lizards'."

It caused a bit of an uproar as the class gasped before mumbling all at once in dissatisfaction. It made her feel embarrassed as the present Ava spoke before it went back to the present in the Ball Pit Car.

* * *

"Smart as I was, I lacked two things to fit in: scales and a tail. Eventually, I got fed up with it and I tried to find out where I came from. But all she knew was that she found me carried by a giant robot. And the blanket she found me in was more than enough for me to know that... that I must've had a family before I was left in Pebblestone. Or at least a mother. Anyway, nobody knew where that robot came from, so I assumed it came from behind that door. And who knows? Maybe I could find my own mother there, too, wherever she is. I tried to figure it out by myself, but Rexy insisted he come along with me. And he followed me ever since."

Rexy nodded as he interjected.

"And I'm glad I did. Friends stick together till the end."

The story intrigued Penny as she looked over to Ava while the latter spoke.

"Yes, they do. But lately... I've been having second thoughts."

"But why? Don't you wanna see your mom?"

"Of course, I do, Penny. But this whole train goes farther than the eye can see. Who knows if she's even alive? Or even if I do find her... would she remember me? Or even love me?"

In that moment, Penny quickly hugged Ava with a smile before she spoke.

"Sure she will. All mommies love their babies."

One-One took the opportunity to speak up in his sad voice.

"Yeah, Stockholm Syndrome can do that to you."

Ava began to smile as small tears of joy were going out of her eyes before she wiped them with a sniffle.

"Thanks, Penny. I needed that."

"Sure. Friends stick together, right?"

Just then, they heard a scuffling on the pit before hearing a strange voice within calling out to the group, making Penny turn her head.

"Heroes!"

"Huh?"

"We need heroes!"

One-One and the others, including Tulip, Bryce, and Bailey, started looking around the ball pit for any sign of the source of the voice. But because it was so large, it was hard to tell, at least for Glad One.

"He could be anywhere."

However, Penny noticed a small rabbit's foot sticking out of the pit. She went over to it immediately and jumped at it before lifting him up from the pit. When she did, Penny found that she was holding the rest of the rabbit upside-down. He was in a teal color with his fluff being his tongue, and was dressed in a purple beanie hat and a lederhosen of sorts as the rabbit spoke.

"Jeepers! Are you the champions I've been waiting for?"

The term confused Penny as she tilted her head. Although she did many brave things, she never considered herself to be a hero in general. But it wasn't hard for Atticus to answer.

"You're in luck. I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes."

"Well, I'm Khaki Bottoms. And all of the cotton is rushing to my head."

When she heard this, Penny flipped Khaki back up and set him on the ball pit.

"Oh! Sorry. My name's Penny."

Tulip took the opportunity to introduce herself and the others next.

"I'm Tulip, and this is One-One and Bailey."

Glad One spoke up before Bailey as they gathered to him.

"My cotton is where it's supposed to be."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bottoms."

Bryce spoke up next, introducing himself along with Ava and Rexy, who smiled to the stuffed rabbit.

"And I'm Bryce, and they are Ava and Rexy."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Great to meet you, pal."

Needless to say, Khaki was impressed with who he's met with.

"Look at you all! This is perfect!"

It piqued Penny's interest as she inquired to Khaki before he put on a mysterious furrow.

"Really?"

"I have an artifact that needs to be returned to its sacred holding chamber—"

Khaki held out a small purple toy with stars on it that jiggled as he spoke.

"—the jiggle wiggle."

Penny tapped on the jiggle wiggle and giggled as it shook up before Khaki laughed and spoke.

"Rewards await adventurers who are bold!"

Tulip, Bryce, and Penny smiled to the rabbit as they spoke.

"Yeah, adventure. Can't get enough of it."

"Well, we've had about almost twenty of them so far. What's one more gonna hurt?"

"I'll help you, Khaki! We all will!"

Khaki was no doubt satisfied with their answer as he hopped into the ball pit.

"Bottoms up!"

Later, Khaki was hopping around the play area with Tulip, Bryce, Bailey, Penny, Ava, Rexy, Atticus, and One-One following close by until they came across a play area with several noodles lined up in place of the steps of a ladder as Khaki spoke to them.

"The first trial has claimed many."

Atticus tested the first noodle himself, and it ended up spinning backwards, making him gasp as he understood the difficulty.

"I can see why."

Bryce didn't think much of the challenge. It seemed too easy for him.

"Please. This might as well be a cakewalk."

Bryce walked up onto the noodles quickly, but because of their spinning, he was just as swiftly swept off his feet and slipped down on the noodles onto the floor with a grumble.

"Ow..."

Khaki looked down at Bryce as he spoke.

"I tried to warn you. Good try, though."

Despite the difficulty, Tulip smiled to Bryce as she spoke.

"It's okay, Bryce. I got this."

To prove this, Tulip surveyed the ladder and had an idea how to get by it as she set her foot on the noodles and let them spin underneath it. After a moment, she set her foot down on it before making her way up to the top as the group looked on in awe and surprise. Though, One-One felt caution was to be taken seriously, especially pertaining to an important factor.

"Ms. Tulip, without a helmet?"

"You'll probably end up getting whacked like Mr. Bryce."

"I live dangerously."

Tulip neared the top of the platform and was about to reach it when she slipped. However, unlike Bryce, she didn't fall on the noodles, but on the platform itself. It could've been more graceful, but she called it a win, nonetheless.

"Ta-da!"

Penny was easily impressed as she clapped her hands.

"Way to go, Tulip!"

Khaki added his own praise as well as he turned to Penny.

"They're gonna make a statue of her one day."

All the same, however, Bryce blushed from his shortcoming and from how Tulip overcame it where he couldn't. He couldn't help but smile at her.

"Yeah..."

Then, he shook it off before he spoke.

"Let me try this again. I'm sure it'll be better this time."

Bryce cautiously stepped on the noodles and walked upwards before he jumped up to the platform and turned around to see Bailey, Penny, Ava, and the others as he spoke.

"Nailed it!"

Khaki also happened to be impressed with the effort Bryce made this time around.

"Way to get back up, my noble champion!"

"Ah, it was nothing."

This made Penny excited, jumping up and down as she spoke elatedly.

"I'll go next!"

As Penny went up to the noodles, Ava and Bailey felt she'd hurt herself more quickly with that energy.

"Be careful, Penny!"

"You'd slip if you go too fast, remember?"

"It's okay. I can handle it."

To prove it, Penny stepped on the noodles and did short quick jumps, putting herself closer to the platform. But when she landed the last jump, she nearly toppled over, losing her balance until Tulip and Bryce caught her hands and pulled her close until she joined them on the platform before turning to the group with a big smile.

"I win!"

Ava put on a confused look as she didn't hear any mention of it.

"Penny, we weren't doing a race."

"Maybe, but at least I'm not last place."

Ava widened her eyes from Penny's words. Was she challenging her? A smirk came across her face as she spoke.

"Oh-ho-ho! You're in for it now, Penny Charleston!"

Ava began to walk upon the noodles next, catching up to her as Rexy cheered her on.

"Yeah, you show them who's boss, Ava! Show them!"

Ava gracefully walked on the noodles as she got closer to Penny. And when she got close enough, she leaped up to the platform, precisely where Penny was. While Penny grew surprised, Ava collided into Penny, pushing her to the ground as Ava hung over her with a smile before she began to laugh with Penny joining in that laughter with Tulip and Bryce taking notice of that friendship before Bailey spoke up.

"Back up, guys! Two more are coming your way!"

Bailey quickly picked up Rexy by his sides as she eyed the noodles.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Bailey didn't answer as she ran up on the noodles and jumped up to the platform just as the others backed up. When they landed, Bailey set Rexy down as Khaki was reveling in pure joy.

"Oh, my! There are a lot of heroes, today!"

Then, Penny realized one problem with the rest. Their feet and/or nubs weren't as sturdy as theirs. Fortunately, Tulip had a solution.

"How are we gonna get the others across?"

"Don't worry, Penny. I got it covered."

Tulip unzipped her jacket and let them down across the noodles for Atticus to hold on to as he chomped on the sleeve before One-One and Khaki rode on his back as Glad One shouted.

"We're also heroes!"

Tulip pulled onto the jacket, letting them all get on the platform with one final pull, the whole group unaware of two shadows going over the slides around them: one belonged to the Steward while the other resembled the same demon Bryce and Penny warded off at the Turtles' Car. Oblivious to the foreboding shadows, Tulip and Bryce spoke to the group.

"We'll put that one down as a team effort."

"Fair enough. Now, what do you say we move on?"

Before Bryce could get to the yellow slide beside them, Khaki jumped up in the way and imitated lasers before he spoke up to them.

"Wait! Force field! You're gonna have to solve the puzzle to deactivate it."

The group turned behind them to see a Tic-Tac-Toe board with two red X's on the first row across with one piece being blank. The row below it had two green circles and one X while the bottom had two green circles and a blank tile in between them. One-One's sad side found it easily befuddling.

"We could be stranded up here for weeks. I'll split up the rations."

One-One split himself up into two before his sad side spoke again.

"I'll warn you, I'm gamey."

However, Tulip didn't see any need to worry as she reassured him while putting her jacket back on.

"Fear not, One-One. I've danced this tango once or twice before."

Before she could attempt it, however, Penny piped up.

"Oh! Oh! Can I try the puzzle?! It's just like Tic-Tac-Toe!"

This made Bailey curious as she looked down to her daughter.

"Wait, you know about Tic-Tac-Toe?"

"Uh-huh. Ms. Tabby always played it with me. I'm really good at it."

Bailey looked at the board in front of her and Tulip before the latter gave her a smile.

"Okay. If you think you can handle it, I won't stop you."

"Yay!"

Penny eagerly went over to the puzzle before stopping just in front of it. She took a look at the number of circles and X's as she thought to herself. The number of circles was just one above the number of X's. To her, it was clear what she was. And she raised a pointer finger as she looked at the board while Atticus became intrigued.

"Ooh."

Penny's eyes went towards the blank tile on the first row across and guided her finger to it. Upon pushing it, it switched to a red X, making a perfect row of red X's as she showed the group her success.

"Ta-da!"

Atticus spoke up in surprise as everyone else grew impressed.

"A bold move!"

Khaki then imitated the force field shutting down before he spoke as he jumped down from the slide and offered Penny the way forward.

"Okay, it's safe to go now. Hup! After you, champion."

Penny smiled to Khaki as he giggled before leading the way. She and the others traveled within the big slide as Penny looked around in awe. It wasn't long before they ended up in a velcro rope type of area where they can walk and see through the openings it had simultaneously. From there, it was a quick trip to the green slide into the next room with Penny, Ava, Bryce, Tulip, Bailey, Atticus, One-One, Rexy, and Khaki went down on it in that order with the last of the group laughing before he put up a serious face.

"The final test— the punching bags of pain."

Rexy only scoffed at the test ahead of him as he spoke.

"They can't be a match for Rexy the Wrecker of Pebblestone. I smashed a rock into pieces, once. This is nothing."

Rexy, determined to prove his title was well-earned, charged into the punching bags, only to get pushed to the wall with a thud and an "oof!" to go with it. Recoiling from his vain attack, Rexy stood up as he shook his head.

"Okay... so, wrecking won't work."

Ava knew what to do next as she reassured Rexy.

"Maybe not. But I think I know how to deal with this."

Ava walked into the punching bags as the group of denizens became surprised while Tulip, Bryce, and Bailey watched as Penny encouraged her.

"There she goes."

"It was nice knowing you..."

"Don't sell her short, One-One. Being with her as long as I have, Ava is one tough customer."

"You can do it, Ava!"

Ava tried her best to navigate through them, parting them away from her, but one of them hit her in the face. Despite it, however, she pressed on until she made it to the other side and parted the bags away enough to let the others pass, making Khaki shout in praise.

"Yay!"

The group walked through the punching bags, unaware of the two shadows looming outside as Khaki prosed on the group's bravery so far.

"With courage and grace, the champions rise to the challenge."

Far away, Rexy and Atticus commented on the decor of the room, consisting mainly of a bed and mini-fridge with a desk and lamp beside it, along with a prize counter holding several items, including a Randall-In-A-Jar among other things.

"This place doesn't look half-bad."

"Very cozy."

"Oh, my jeepers! Thank you so much! I tell you, few eyes get to gaze upon its majesty. You are so lucky."

The group went closer to the prize counter as the people among them knelt down with Bryce taking a knee while Penny sat down and Tulip crouched down. Bailey crouched down as well while Ava sat criss-cross as Khaki got out the jiggle wiggle.

"And now, the artifact can rest."

Khaki placed the jiggle wiggle on the spot fitting it just right before he spoke with joy.

"And the world is made whole again! While heroism of your caliber can never be properly rewarded, your bravery must be recognized."

This made Bailey smile to him as she spoke.

"Thanks, Khaki, but you don't have to."

"Nonsense. You may select any of the—"

Before Khaki could finish, both Penny and One-One spoke quickly at the same time.

"Jiggle wiggle!"

Khaki leapt up in surprise as he replied to their answer.

"An excellent choice! It's basically the most fun thing ever."

Khaki handed Penny the jiggle wiggle before she squeezed onto it, making it slip out of her hand before catching it with her other hand as she giggled while Tulip spoke.

"Neat."

Suddenly, the building in which they were inside shook up, as if struck by an earthquake, though it was for a brief moment. Bailey turned to the group out of shock as she didn't experience this since her time in the Paradise Car during the Shutdown.

"What was that?!"

Bryce and Tulip took a look outside the window to see a terrifying sight as they gasped: the mechanical tentacles of the Steward traveling everywhere. And even worse, a demonic shadow was going everywhere as well as it laughed sinisterly. Tulip and Bryce didn't like it one bit.

"It's that monster again!"

"And that shadow thing, too. Didn't Penny and I get rid of it before?"

Then, Bryce recalled who was capable of pulling off such a dangerous feat. It was the same person who trapped Penny in her nightmare...

"It's Osore! He's here with the monster! For all we know, Night Shroud can't be far behind, either."

This put Tulip in a flustered state as she turned to the others.

"Oh, no, no, no, no...! We gotta go! Right now!"

Just then, Penny took notice of the scariest part: she noticed the steward's tentacles crawling around the punching bags as she shouted.

"The monster's getting in here, too!"

As the group backed away, Bryce turned to Khaki for an answer.

"Great. How do we get out of here?"

"But you just got here, and the feast of a thousand chicken nuggets—"

"Ordinarily, we would stay, but this is serious. Where's the exit?"

Khaki then gave out the directions as he spoke.

"All the way down, left, then right. You'll get to a slide, and the door is just outside."

Tulip felt grateful as she spoke softly before Bryce spoke to the group.

"Thanks. You need to hide someplace safe, Khaki."

"Guys, we need to hoof it out of here, but stay quiet. They don't know we're here yet. So let's keep it that way."

One-One began to interject.

"I think that—"

Before he could speak, Tulip shushed him and shook her head. She then picked him up and gave him to Penny as she spoke.

"Keep him out of trouble, Penny. Got it?"

"Uh-huh."

Tulip then went to the slide in front of her, only to notice an outrageous number of tentacles inside the slide. Cautiously, the group went down it, avoiding the tentacles around it with Bryce following behind Tulip as Penny (along with One-One), Ava, Bailey, Rexy, and Atticus followed him. When a tentacles slid down in front of her, she tried to move her way around it just as it began to move around. It forced Tulip to hold in any nervous shout she may want to use before she moved forward and the others followed, navigating around the stray tentacle. The group then went on the slide to the left, climbing up on it with Bryce helping her up while Penny held One-One. But as she held him, she didn't notice her jiggle wiggle slipping away. By the time she did, it was already out of her pocket. They gasped and she tried to grab it, but it slipped again. However, Bailey was able to catch it and set it in her own pocket as she spoke softly.

"That was close..."

The group drew a soft sigh before pressing on. When they did, however, Penny took notice of a dark, evil shadow underneath her smiling maliciously at her. This brought unfortunate memories of her torture in the Turtles' Car to mind as she could remember how close that monster came to killing Bryce and then killing her. She couldn't help but scream as she backed away, making Tulip and Bryce look up to her just in time for the tentacles to clench the space around them and pull the slide apart, sending the group to the ground as they fell before being met with not only the steward, but also with the man Bryce suspected. And Tulip didn't like it one bit...

"Osore!"

Seeing him in person, Bailey began to get livid with anger as she growled to herself.

"First, he destroyed my car... and all those innocent people... and now, he's tortured my daughter?!"

It was getting harder and harder for Bailey to contain her anger as Osore spoke to Tulip.

"Finally. It took you long enough, little flower."

The name frustrated her, but the more he said it, the more she began to feel that she'd met him before. She wasn't sure how, but she planned to find out.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Osore smirked as the steward opened fire on the group, making them retreat behind the slide. As they hid, Atticus turned to the group and spoke to them as Bryce got out his sharpened cubes sword and turned to him.

"Everyone, it has been an honor. But now's the time you save yourselves."

On the other hand, Tulip and Penny became worried as Bailey noticed her sling pack far away. No doubt it was scooped up and dropped during the steward's search. This gave her an idea as she turned back to the group.

"No, Atticus. Stay here."

"I didn't leave my kingdom on a crusade, only to cower before my dragon."

Bryce argued against it as well, but for a different reason.

"Like heck I'm just gonna stay behind. Osore's got a debt to pay, too. He's not gonna get away with what he did to Penny."

Bailey piped up as she stepped closer to him.

"I'm in. Nobody hurts my daughter and gets away with it."

Penny became worried next as she spoke softly.

"But you'll die if you fight them..."

Bryce reassured Penny as he brushed her hair back.

"I promise you, Penny. Nobody's going to die. Not today."

Then, Bryce turned to Ava and Rexy as he spoke up.

"Besides, who else is gonna be able to look after the others? I need you to do that for me while we hold Osore and that thing at bay. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Can you do that?"

Penny couldn't deny the situation. Scared as she was, she knew she'd have no chance against Osore or the steward. And then the others would be at risk. She didn't want that to happen. So, she had to agree.

"Okay. I'll keep them safe."

"Thanks. We'll be back. I promise."

With that, Bryce, Bailey, and Atticus rushed into battle as Tulip and Penny shouted for them.

"Mom! Bryce!"

"Atticus!"

While Atticus distracted the steward, Bryce went directly for Osore, screaming at the top of his lungs as he swung his sword, only for him to retaliate with his platinum claws, holding the sword back as Bailey went after her sling pack and scooped it up before finding a certain item inside before she widened her eyes and began to hesitate for a moment before she took a deep breath and grabbed it out of the bag before running with it as Bryce repeatedly slammed his sword on his claws as he shouted with venom.

"Couldn't you just stay away?! You being anywhere near her is bad enough!"

"You're thinking too small. I'm here for more than the girl this time..."

Just then, Osore heard Bailey shout behind him before he was suddenly ambushed and knocked to the floor. When he got back up, he felt his face and felt a scratch mark on his face as four more ended up on his visor. And the cause of it was standing right in front of him: it was Bailey, holding another platinum glove in her hand, only it was more refined and sharp-edged as she panted before speaking to him viciously.

"You took everything from me..."

"I don't even know who you are."

Bailey extended her clawed glove out as she glared daggers at Osore before she spoke bitterly with tears in her eyes.

"You will..."

She shouted viciously as she lunged at him, determined to cut him down. He tried to counter, but was caught off-guard when she dodged him and grabbed his face before tossing him farther away from her and Bryce, who stood flabbergasted at how good she was doing against him. As Bailey caught her breath, Bryce spoke to her as he stood by her.

"Remind me not to make you mad."

Meanwhile, Atticus ran into a slide, hopping around as one of the steward's tentacles chased after him. That proved to be its undoing very quickly. Atticus jumped over one of the steward's other arms before it was severed by the one giving chase, spewing oil before it was forced to pull back the one that got hurt and examine the damage. After that, however, it took notice of Tulip running away with One-One, Penny, Ava, and Rexy before it gave chase. It wasn't long before the steward caught Tulip in its tentacle, making Penny and the others turn to her in fear as the little girl shouted.

"TULIP!"

Bryce took notice of this and tried to come to her aid as he shouted.

"Hold on, Tulip! I'm coming!"

Before he could get to her, however, he find himself unable to move as his own shadow was gripping his legs, making him grunt as Osore spoke coldly.

"No one is going anywhere..."

The steward targeted its guns at her, prepared to fire as she tried in vain to shield herself before a signal beeped, causing it to turn away and retract them before Tulip looked up to see what it was looking at. All the while, Osore smirked as he spoke.

"He's here..."

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Take What We Need (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Origami Car)"

Out of the shadows, the giant robot walked into view, showing its cloak and domed head with a red wave over its mouth as the group gasped in surprise while Bailey spoke in awe.

"Uh... that's a big robot."

And she wasn't the only one who's shocked. When Ava noticed her, her eyes widened, receiving a brief flashback of that very robot that carried her as she cried. She knew more than ever who it was. Rexy tried to snap her out of it as he spoke.

"Hey, Ava. What's the matter with you?"

"It's him... i-it's the robot who left me in that car..."

That same robot began to speak in an automated voice as he went towards the group, mainly Tulip.

"This would've been so much easier for all of us if you had just stayed out. But instead, you go through car after car interfering with my plans, attacking my stewards for months. But despite all of that, I still wanted to help you. I sent the car to offer you your tapes, to live inside your happiest memories. But what'd you do with my gift? You reject it. And you continued to march against me. And now, look where you ended up."

"Who... who are you?"

As Bryce took a look at the robot, a theory began creeping up in his head as he spoke aloud.

"Unless I'm mistaken, that must be the Conductor."

This made Bailey gasp in shock as she beheld his fearsome appearance. Is that really the conductor her people had stories about? And if so, why would he ever let someone like Osore destroy the car she was naturally born in? It didn't add up. Maybe he could clarify it to her.

"The conductor...? But why would he...?"

Unable to let the opportunity for answers slide away, Bailey shouted to it.

"Is it true?!"

End Chrome Canyon Music: "Take What We Need (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Origami Car)"

The robot turned over to Bailey, curious about what she must be prattling on about.

"What was that?"

"Are you really the Conductor?"

There was a brief moment of silence before it replied.

"Yes. What of it?"

"The truth is... I was hoping I could be able to talk to you."

The robot waited half a moment before he spoke again.

"Go on."

Bailey looked around at the carnage as she worked up the courage to say what was on her mind.

"What I wanted to know... is why you allowed Osore to attack us the way he did. My people in our car knew the stories, that the first person who stayed here worked with the Conductor to make life better for people who can't handle their own problems anymore. You used to help us..."

Bailey then tensed her clawed hand before she began to speak out of sadness and rage.

"But then, Osore came. He destroyed the car and almost everyone inside it...! That wasn't even the worst part. The Scarecrows followed his example and treated us like slaves to use for their own purpose! All I need to know is why! WHY DID YOU LET HIM HURT US LIKE THIS?!"

Bailey's voice echoed for a moment as Penny felt bad for her mother, putting on a sad frown as the silence hung on. Then, it was shattered with his voice.

"Is that even a question?"

Bailey looked up to her in surprise as she gasped before she answered.

"The truth is, you people are all just numbers to me and this train. The fact that you lack one proves how insignificant you are: you're worth even less than the passengers. Just another denizen."

This broke Bailey as she made a shuddering gasp before shaking her head and shouting to him.

"What about Aiden?! He knew I wasn't insignificant! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known about his world! I wouldn't have worked so hard to go with him!"

"I see. Such a pity that you will never be able to see it. Nor will you ever be able to see him. He's very well far away by now, far out of your reach. And he always will be..."

Bailey began to shed tears on her face as she began to sob. Bryce tried to comfort her as he went over to Bailey.

"Don't listen to him, Bailey. I know there's a way. There's just—"

Before Bryce could finish, Bailey began to shout at the Conductor.

"No...! No! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! He'd never leave me!"

Osore sneered at the broken Bailey as he raised his claw.

"Believe it. You really thought you belonged out of this train? That possibility didn't exist in the first place!"

Osore tried to strike Bailey, only for Bryce to halt his claw with his sword before he retorted in Bailey's defense.

"You're wrong! She has just as much a right to get off this train! We're all gonna leave, together!"

Osore maintained his sneer as he spoke condescendingly before pausing as he began to speak in rising anger.

"Really? If that was the case... then what am I doing here?!"

Bryce was caught off-guard by his words before he was blindsided by his other claw, knocked down to the ground as Penny witnessed the altercation. She couldn't bear one second more of his suffering, and she quickly ran out to the field of battle.

"Bryce!"

While Penny ran away hard as she could, Osore was ready to deal the final blow as he spoke bitterly.

"I speak from experience, Mr. Gideon: there is no escape!"

Just before he could make the blow, Penny suddenly jumped on his chest, grabbing onto him by his neck as she shouted, straining as Osore tried to remove her hands off of him, but to no avail as she immediately clasped them back together.

"You big bully! Nobody messes... with my family... and gets... away with it!"

Seeing this with his own eyes, Bryce was dumbfounded, but despite his surprise, he tried to stop her.

"Penny, no! Get away from here!"

She didn't listen. Osore growled as he finally removed both her arms at once before gripping her by the collar of her shirt and spoke to her coldly.

"Alright! You want to play rough? How's this for rough?!"

Osore chucked Penny away with a heavy throw, tossing her straight at the exit door before the back of her head collided against it the edge of the doorknob, striking her head as well as giving it a sharp cut as she screamed in pain before the whole group, fighting or not, turned to see Penny laying just by the exit door. She didn't appear too hurt, but the small specks of blood that burst on the doorknob told otherwise. Bailey was struck with agony as she ran over to her.

"PENNY!"

Ava took notice of such a brutal force and ran over to Penny as well, leaving Rexy with One-One as he spoke worriedly.

"Hey! Get back here, Ava!"

Bailey began to cradle Penny in her arms as she tried to make sure she was alive

"Don't you die on me, Penny! You can't die!"

When Ava got to Penny, the little girl moaned as Ava knelt down. Bryce saw the whole thing. How could anyone be so vicious as to hurt a six-year-old girl like that?! Bryce snapped like a twig as he glared at Osore.

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

Bryce quickly swung his sword at his face, knocking the visor clean off of him as he tried to hold his hand over his face.

"My face!"

But he didn't stop there: Bryce continued his aggravated assault, swinging his sword left and right as it tore through his cloak. While this happened, Penny moaned as she felt the pain numbing her senses and putting her closer to death as she spoke weakly.

"Mom...? Am... am I gonna...?"

"No! No, Penny you're not going to die! He promised!"

In her panic, Bailey looked at the back of her head and saw the laceration Osore caused. The damage didn't seem too bad, but it could be fatal if not treated properly. Quickly, she turned to Ava as she spoke.

"Ava, hold her head up! I don't have a lot of time here!"

Ava could tell where she was going with it. She helped patch up Bryce's wound from Mace after the Chrome Car. She must be trying to patch up Penny's wound, too. She didn't hesitate to help as she replied.

"Got it!"

Meanwhile, Bryce lashed viciously over and over at Osore with his cubed sword. In his blind rage, however, he didn't notice what was beyond the tears of Osore's cloak that he'd made, nor did he see Tulip getting scared over this dark side of him.

"Bryce, stop! You can't do this!"

Sadly, Bryce didn't hear her pleas. He continued until, finally, Osore was knocked to the ground. Bryce raised his sword and aimed it at his chest as he panted heavily in anger. After a moment, Bryce began to shout out in anger as he drove his sword at his chest with Tulip looking away, but before it could connect, Osore's right hand grabbed it, exposing a countless cluster of green numbers on his wrist. That's when Tulip and Bryce took notice of what was underneath the cloak as the former slowly opened her eyes and gasped in surprise.

His own eyes widened, too, as he noticed the numbers didn't stop at his wrist: they practically covered most of his whole body! Every slash Bryce has made on his sleeves, be it arms or legs, revealed those numbers in outrageously high quantity. Even worse, underneath that visor of his that Bryce knocked away were two red eyes with black pupils. One could assume they were filled with blood themselves. Bryce was at a loss for words as he spoke.

"You're... you're a passenger...?!"

"Of course I am, you fool!"

Osore then tossed his sword at the ground far away from them before knocking him away with a backhand to the ground adjacent to where his sword was before a shadow monster held his legs in place with a wicked smile as Tulip looked on in fear.

"Bryce!"

Osore stood over Bryce with a vicious glare as he spoke.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you. I can see why the cat was so scared of you before."

This made Bryce look up to him, maintaining his anger as he spoke coldly.

"And why would you tell me that?"

"Because fear can manipulate anyone and anything. The cat was no exception."

Unbeknownst to Osore, Ava was overhearing his words as he spoke on.

"After the last time you met, she was scared for her life, you see. She had no choice but to go to us to keep herself alive."

Bryce didn't consider it a surprise as he scoffed.

"Yeah, that sounds like something she'd do. But what difference does that make? Why should I care?"

Just then, as if on cue, a familiar voice rang out, making Bryce turn over to the figure as it crept out from the darkness.

"Because, Bryce... it's more personal to me than you could ever know."

Tulip and Bryce took notice of her and instantly became angry as they spoke intermittently.

"The cat!"

On the other hand, One-One, Ava, Bailey, Penny, and Rexy became more surprised than angry as Bailey spoke up.

"That cat's with them, too? What next?"

However, it wasn't as personal to her as it was for Ava. Her eyes were on the verge of shedding tears from that apparent betrayal as she spoke softly.

"Samantha...?"

The cat took notice of her, too, and widened her eyes as she spoke sadly.

"Mon enfant... you still remember me?"

"Remember? Of course, I remember! I... I never forgot you..."

As Ava was reeling from seeing her again, turning her head away as tears came out, Bailey and the recovering Penny looked to her in surprise as they spoke up in curiosity.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

"Ava... do you know the cat, too?"

"Yes. She's how I learned everything growing up. She wasn't my companion like Atticus is with you, but... she was my teacher. Then, one day when I was five... she left. I never saw her again. And I never knew why... until now."

With Ava now looking at her in a blend of sadness and anger, Samantha put on a look of guilt as she spoke up.

"Ava... I tried to come back to you."

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU?! Were you just too busy ruining everyone else's lives to even think about going back to mine?! Was it how you've always been: a swindler?! Did you even... did you even care about me at all?

Samantha held her head down in shame with a weak meow before the Conductor spoke again.

"Of course not. And even if she did, it never was her place to be your teacher. You deserved better than that con artist to begin with."

Ava began to look around at the others, having suffered heavy and nearly fatal damage around her. Then, she looked down to Penny, her head still recovering from Osore's attack and her bandage wrapped around her forehead and the back of her head as she saw the sadness in the cat's face. She had a look of worry for her as she spoke to Ava.

"Ava... it's not her fault. She missed you... I can tell..."

Ava then looked back to the cat and saw that same sadness as well. Even after getting her head bashed into the door, she still saw the good in the people she meets. That's how pure she was. Ava had to admit it; she was jealous of her for that. Still, she saw her point. It's not like Samantha wanted to be away from her as long as she was. But it didn't mean Osore was wrong.

"So... now that I've tracked them down for you, may I go? I have a lot of lost time to make up for with her..."

The Conductor sneered down towards her as he spoke.

"That depends: where's the robot?"

Tulip gasped while she and Bryce looked behind her to see Rexy holding One-One in his claws as the latter shook nervously. They recognized how much danger he was in, and they knew he had to get away.

"One-One, Rexy, run!"

"Get out of here, you two!"

Rexy nodded as he glared at the Conductor before he spoke, giving him a rude hand gesture as he did.

"You'll never take us alive!"

Rexy then ran inside the slide with One-One in tow as the Conductor spoke coldly.

"Bring the robot to me... and then I give you your freedom."

Tulip could only assume that what he had planned couldn't be anything good, and tried to break out of the steward's grip.

"No!"

When she tried, it only got more difficult as it wrapped another arm around her upper body, restricting her movement further while Bryce tried to go after them next, only to be stuck by his shadow as he grunted while Samantha argued with the Conductor.

"That wasn't what we agreed to. I found them; that was the deal. I did my job!"

"Your job is to follow directions. And I am directing you."

Unable to talk back to the Conductor's cold demeanor, the cat meowed weakly as she went into the slide after Rexy and One-One. While she walked in the slide, she looked back where Ava was and took a deep breath before she gave chase. It wasn't long before the cat took notice of them just ahead of her as she shouted.

"Wait, stop!"

Rexy took notice of Samantha and growled as he spoke.

"Stay back, traitor! I'll have you know that I never liked ya!"

"And I wouldn't blame you, but you and the ball need to get out!"

Outside, Osore made a smirk as he caught wind that the cat's true purpose for the Conductor was taking effect, seeing her silhouette near Rexy and One-One.

"I think she's close enough. Time for some... target practice."

This made Ava widen her eyes in fear as she made a light gasp while the Conductor spoke.

"I couldn't agree more."

With that, he made a signal before the steward acted accordingly, drawing out two guns from its eyes.

Inside, the cat heard the sound and gasped, making Rexy confused as he'd heard that sound, too.

"Uh, what was that?"

"We have to run! NOW!"

And not a moment too soon, for the steward began to fire at the slides, making Rexy duck as he held One-One in his claws while Samantha ran behind him, trying to avoid the gunfire that aimed to hit her as Tulip shouted in fear.

"No! One-One!"

During the concentrated fire, some of the bullets flew upward, hitting the slide above them as well before they began to zip up in front of the path Rexy took making him

Anxious as he ran before Samantha ran just as quickly before shoving Rexy and One-One past it as the slide began to give way with the bullets having stopped mere seconds ago as Samantha looked to them sadly.

"If I don't make it... tell Ava I'm sorry."

Suddenly, the slide began to fall apart with Samantha going down with it, surprising One-One and Rexy as they gasped before the dinosaur looked down at the wreckage. He couldn't see any trace of her.

"Samantha...!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the group couldn't see beyond the smoke that billowed out from the collapsing wreckage and assumed the worst as Bryce glared at the Conductor while Bailey, Penny, and Ava looked on in horror as he and Tulip shouted.

"You monster!"

"ONE-ONE!"

The steward then held Tulip in front of the Conductor as he spoke condescendingly before Osore walked towards her.

"And that leaves you all alone..."

"It could've been different, but you had to put yourself before the others."

Tulip glared at Osore and snapped at him amidst her tears.

"YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!"

"That was your own fault, little flower. Just like it was your fault that I'm here!"

Tulip began to get confused as her angry face softened.

"Wha...? What are you talking about?"

Osore made an exasperated sigh as he looked to her.

"You really haven't figured that out, yet? Doesn't my face ring any bells to you?"

The longer Tulip looked at his face, the more familiar it began to get. She wasn't certain before, even with the faint memory of it that surged when she resisted Chain's attempt to control her. But now, she knew her mind wasn't playing tricks. She made a loud gasp as she realized who Osore really was.

"You're Mr. Jackson! Y-You went missing for almost ten years!"

"So, you do remember me? For a moment, I couldn't remember you when we first met. With how much I changed, I guess it should come as no surprise."

"B-But I don't understand. Why are you here?"

"Don't you see? I'm here because of you. You always called me a scaredy-cat when you were a child. But, given how timid I used to be, I suppose you thought it was endearing. For a moment, I did, too. But it didn't change how rotten my life was. How angry it made me. My life was rotten because I was a coward, and you had the nerve to remind me of it every single day! You always told me to stand up for myself. And I did, with blood-stained hands. Then, the train arrived. It took time, of course, to study and understand its purpose; to change the person into the better half of themselves, then finally... to lose myself in order to become... this."

Tulip was trembling in the steward's grip as her anger was rising.

"Is that why you killed my friends?! Because I called you a scaredy-cat?!"

"No. It wasn't personal, really. Besides, that was your fault. And I'm no outlier, either. They had a place on this train, and you took them out of it. You brought them here! You put them in that position!"

"They were trying to help me!"

"They were. And look what happened. Wake up and face reality, Tulip. You are a burden. You've been a burden to me just like you were a burden to your friends. A burden... is all you'll ever be..."

Meanwhile, in the slide, Rexy and One-One witnessed the confession from above as Tulip began to shed her tears and turned her head away and became worried for her as Glad One spoke.

"We've got to save Ms. Tulip and the others."

"Well, duh. But how are we gonna get down there?"

In that moment, Atticus went up near them as he spoke.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Down below, Tulip was trying to hold back her tears to no avail as the Conductor got out a pink handkerchief and wiped them as he spoke.

"Aw... no more tears."

After the tears were wiped, Osore cupped his right hand on her left cheek before gently turning it to his face as she sniffled lightly with Ava eyeing Bryce's sword on the ground.

"You've always been a burden, Tulip. But it doesn't have to be that way. You helped me change before... it's only right that I help you change, too."

As Tulip gazed into his blood red eyes, Rexy shouted from above as he held his claws out.

"Change this!"

Rexy piled onto Osore, making him grunt before the shadow monster disappeared, releasing Bryce before he looked to his sword only for Ava to pick it up as he, Bailey, and Penny looked on as she tried to go after Tulip and set her free as she shouted.

"Let her go right now!"

The Conductor only beeped his signal before the steward gripped Ava by her foot and lifted her up, making her drop the sword near Bryce before wrapping her whole body just as Atticus suddenly leapt on the Conductor and tore at the wires on his left side before the Conductor grabbed him by his back as he barked, making Tulip scared to death as she shouted.

"Atticus, no!"

At the same time, Osore extricated Rexy from him as he tossed him aside to the ground where he landed beside Bailey and Penny as they checked on him.

"Rexy!"

"Are you alright?"

Rexy got up weakly on his legs, but he wasn't as dazed as when he was electrocuted before in the Paradise Car.

"More or less... where's Ava?"

Bailey, Penny, and Bryce looked on to the scene in worry just as Rexy took notice as the Conductor glared at Ava and Tulip.

Play Henry Jackman Music: "Silent Sparrow (2:40-3:43)"

"You will cease your journey."

"Not a chance!"

"Why should we listen to you?!"

There was a brief pause before the Conductor spoke again.

"Because I'm the Conductor. And my word... is final."

The Conductor moved his other arm to get out a large gun before aiming it at Atticus, making Tulip and Bryce gasp in fear as Atticus turned to them with a small whine. The Conductor made no hesitation to pull the trigger, blasting a beam of blue light on him at point blank range as Atticus yelped.

"Ow!"

The crown dropped to the ground with smoke coming out of it before his own body fell next with a thud and an "oof!" as smoke billowed out from him as well. Tulip and Ava's eyes were widened as the former shouted.

"ATTICUS!"

The Conductor gave a beeping signal before the steward dropped Tulip while still carrying Ava as they walked away from her, leaving her to cradle Atticus in her arms as she spoke weakly.

"Atticus..."

At the same time, Bryce was trying to stand up with his sword in hand before the Conductor pointed his hand at the ceiling, to which it grabbed at the leftover slides before pulling them down, causing them to fall down as Khaki went down in the ball pit with the steward then wrapping itself around the Conductor and carrying him and Ava as they went out of the exit door, zipping past Bailey, Penny, and Rexy as the trio looked on to see them going away before Rexy shouted for her.

"AVA!"

Then, they heard the debris rumbling above them before seeing them fall down, causing the trio to move away from the exit just as they came crashing down. All the while, as Bryce stood up with his sword, recovering from the shadow monster's right trap, Tulip cradled Atticus as she spoke sadly and in a hoarse voice.

"Atticus... Hey. It's okay, it's okay..."

Suddenly, Atticus' head stretched farther with his eyes narrowing down before Tulip quickly chucked him away in reaction to the sudden growth. And it got worse... suddenly, within the smoke he was tossed into, Atticus grew a small antenna that flailed about and his white paw grew larger while corroding into a black color. His howl turned into a screech as he then zipped up into the air. In Atticus' place was the same monster that Tulip and Bryce had met before. And the first person it pounced on... was Tulip. All she could do was turn her head away as it towered above her. Seeing this, Bryce grew very angry as he saw the beast sucking the life out of Tulip.

As Tulip began to wither, Bryce yelled at the top of his lungs as he charged at the beast before whacking it with his cubed sword, knocking it far away before it landed near a broken slide. With tears of rage in his eyes, Bryce shouted again as he rushed at the beast that went after him. Just as it leaped at him, Bryce hit it on the head, slamming it down to the ground, giving him the opportunity to stab at it. And he didn't hesitate. Bryce quickly impaled the creature over and over with a fit of anger, much to Tulip's horror as she shouted at him.

"BRYCE, STOP! THAT'S ATTICUS!"

Overhearing her anguished shout, Bryce stopped dead in his tracks before panting, holding his sword back the instant he heard those words as he gazed at the broken body of the beast that was formerly the Corgi King. Seeing such a devastating toll he dished out on him made him numb as he tried to gain control of his breathing, but with much difficulty.

End Henry Jackman Music: "Silent Sparrow (2:40-3:43)"

While Bryce began to realize what a terrible mistake he'd made, the beast chirped softly as something bizarre happened: the wounds it was given were slowly going away, the parts of the shell that were out of place from his attack popping back where they should. To his shock, the dents he made were gone!

"Are you kidding me?!"

The beast growled at Bryce with a vengeance before he ran with Tulip running just ahead of him into the purple slide. While they ran, Penny saw the whole thing and became worried as she spoke up.

"We've gotta save them!"

As the beast went up the slide, Rexy took notice of a broken slide with one end closed off while the other was completely open with a door and mirror just hanging above. This gave him an idea as he spoke.

"Don't worry. I know just what to do."

Meanwhile, Tulip quickly ran up, as did Bryce, but he was quickly pulled down by one of its antenna, making him exclaim as he looked down to see his foot near its head before he kicked at it.

"Just stay down, will you?!"

Fortunately, just in the nick of time, One-One was waltzing by before noticing the two of them.

"Ms. Tulip! Mr. Bryce!"

"One-One!"

"You're still alive?!"

The beast chirped below them before Rexy shouted at him.

"Hey, Ghom!"

The Ghom turned around, seeing Rexy standing in front of the slide with Bailey on top of the slide while Penny was on top of her as he glared at it.

"Come get some!"

The Ghom accepted the challenge as it ran towards Rexy before right there, just at the last second, he moved out of the way, the Ghom barreling past him into the slide before sliding as Penny shouted.

"Mom! Do it quick! He got in!"

On top of the slide, Bailey pushed down on the window before it closed itself on the Ghom, trapping it inside as it chirped and growled before Tulip and Bryce went over to them with the former holding One-One in her hands with while Rexy sighed.

"That was close."

While the monster clawed at the window, Tulip was catching her breath as Bryce looked at the monster that used to be Atticus. It made his hand tremble as he looked to it, but when he did... he noticed a frightening development: his number went up from a "2" to a "382". And it didn't stop there; Bryce pulled down his sleeve to find that it went up all the way to his wrist, just halfway to his elbow. It made him give a gasp to himself as he put his sleeve back down. He was certain it was way lower than that before today. As much as he wanted to figure it out, though, there was a more important matter to think about. Rexy knew it just as well.

"So... what do we do now?"

Bailey couldn't find a way to answer it as she dwelt on what the Conductor did and said to them.

"I... I don't know."

It wasn't long before Tulip began to break down softly, struggling to hold back her sobs, much to Bryce's sympathy as he and One-One's sad side spoke softly.

"It's okay to cry."

"Tulip... I didn't mean to—"

Before he could finish, Tulip didn't hesitate to hug him as she sobbed on Bryce's shoulder before he returned the gesture with a sad look on his face as Penny, Bailey, and Rexy gave her their own hugs as the trapped Ghom snarled at them, trying desperately to catch its prey that's far beyond its reach...

**A/N: And there you have it. The storm has passed. But it's only going to go downhill from here. And, of course, we have yet to encounter Night Shroud. Come next episode, though, you'll see her again. ;)**


	19. The Past and Future Cars

**A/N: And here it is, the next chapter of my story. Now, this is where things go for a dark turn, so naturally it's not for the faint of heart. There will be some violence involved, so if you feel triggered, please take a break from reading it until you get yourself together again. And on another note, there's a surprise at the end of this chapter that you can look forward to... ;)**

**Act III - Chapter XVIII:** The Past and Future Cars

In the ruins of the Ball Pit Car, Atticus, now turned into a Ghom by the Conductor, was still clawing at the window. In the meantime, Tulip sat disconsolately in front of the trap before picking up Atticus' crown and putting it in her backpack. She took a look at her number three as Atticus beat at the window before she grunted while wiping her tears away while Bailey tended to Penny alongside Rexy as the little girl sat by the tube that trapped Atticus. Her head was bandaged quickly since Osore dealt a heavy blow to her head, and just in time. For if it wasn't taken care of as soon as it was, who knows how long she would've lasted? Of course, it didn't change their situation, but at least they still had one young innocent life to keep. All the while, One-One was fetching everyone their shoes as both sides of him brought over Penny's sneakers while his Glad side spoke.

"Look, Ms. Penny! I found your shoes, and now I'm a shoe-head! Who's a shoehead? Shoe-head! That's who!"

Penny couldn't help but giggle as she took her sneakers and put them back on.

"Thanks, One-One."

Penny then gave One-One pats on both of his sides' heads before the Sad side spoke up.

"I still think boot-body would be funnier."

Then, One-One went to fetch Tulip's shoes. And while he did, Penny began to watch as Bryce was hacking away at the debris that fell in front of the exit, exerting angry grunts with every strike. He was going through a lot of turmoil at the time, and at this point, who would blame him? The Conductor told him their existence was meaningless, and on top of that, he almost killed one of his friends, driving his number up halfway to his elbow (though his efforts were thankfully in vain). After a decent amount of cutting, Bryce picked up one of the debris and tossed it aside with a yell as Penny turned to her mother with a sad expression.

"Mom, what are we supposed to do now?"

Bailey was hit just as hard as well. The people in her heart always believed the Conductor yo be the one who gave them the choice to stay on the train, only to find out that it was all a lie. At least, the situation seemed to be the case. She couldn't work out if any of what he said was the truth, especially about Aden being gone. It was driving her mad, but she didn't want to show it in front of her daughter.

"I... I don't know, Penny..."

However, Rexy was quick to suggest an idea as he sprang up.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do! We're gonna track down that Conductor, rip him up a new one, and get Ava back!"

Penny and Bailey looked to Rexy, surprised to see him so angry. With what the Conductor did, though, it's not hard to see why. His best friend was quickly captured by the steward. Neither of them could figure out why, though. Regardless, it doesn't seem to matter to him. All that mattered was getting his best friend back, which was understandable. But there was a flaw to Rexy's plan that Bailey recognized.

"But how are we supposed to find him? He's far ahead of us, by now. And who knows how many cars there are in front of us?"

"I don't care, lady! That tyrant took my best friend from me! I can't just be sitting here while he does who-knows-what to her! I just... I just want her back..."

Rexy began to shed tears, trying not to sob as Penny comforted him with her hug. But it didn't last long, because Bryce had finished clearing the way that blocked the exit with his cubed sword and his strength before he turned to the others.

"Alright. That's about everything. The exit's open."

Tulip turned to Bryce with a sullen expression as she responded in a deadpan manner.

"Thanks..."

Bryce frowned as he saw her misery. Then he looked to his own number, rolling up a sleeve to stare at his number that went up from his ruthless assault. Looking at it alone was enough to make him worried, but not because of how Tulip would react when she notices it: it's because of what it means. The moment he attacked Atticus so viciously, Bryce's number condemned him as a monster. A monster like Osore... Not willing to think about it anymore, he rolled his sleeve back down as Tulip began to walk away, only for One-One's Glad side to pipe up.

"Wait! Are we leaving Atticus behind?"

As Atticus chirped in his trap, Penny felt bad for the creature as she went up to the mirror and gently placed her hand on the window.

"He sounds so sad..."

Tulip turned back and spoke against it with the same deadpan tone.

"Don't bother, Penny. He's not Atticus anymore."

Tulip walked away without hesitation before the sympathetic Penny began to follow Tulip alongside Rexy, Bailey, and One-One. While they followed her, however, Penny and One-One took notice of her number as she let it sway in and out. One moment it said "3", but the next moment, it said "10". Then, it said "28". Her number was getting worse and worse... and neither of them liked it one bit.

"Tulip, your number's going higher!"

Hearing this, Bryce raised his eyes as he looked back to the group while Tulip spoke to Penny almost bitterly before One-One spoke up in his Glad voice.

"So what?"

"You're losing progress, Ms. Tulip!"

"WHAT PROGRESS?! Atticus is gone, and my number's not gonna change that!"

Tulip looked back at her number and saw that it said "67". Bryce took notice of it, too. But unlike him, she still had hope. He knew it when he saw her number in comparison to his. But she didn't think anything about it, or she's too upset about Atticus to realize. Maybe Osore's words got to her, he supposed. When she spoke again, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Nothing will ever change. I used to love that, but now... I don't see the point anymore. Osore was right about me. I am a burden."

Bryce felt sorry for Tulip as he tried to talk her out of that way of thinking.

"Tulip, you don't really believe that, do you?"

"Why not? If it wasn't for me, Atticus wouldn't have been turned into that monster, Penny wouldn't have gotten hurt, Bailey would've found her husband by now, Rexy would still have his best friend, and Ava wouldn't have been taken away! I've always been a burden. That's all I've ever been... I'm stuck on this train forever."

Bryce showed a sad look on his face before glaring at Tulip, putting himself between her and the door, making her look up in surprise as he spoke in a serious tone.

"No. I'm the one who's stuck here forever."

Bryce unrolled his sleeve to show that his number was much higher than Tulip's. She gasped in shock at the length of his number that went up halfway to his elbow.

"Bryce, your number! W-What happened?"

"Remember when I attacked Atticus? I was too angry to think because he was killing you. That's why it went up."

This knowledge, however, made Tulip hang her head down, feeling as though it further verified how she felt.

"So it's my fault your number went that high, then."

Bryce disagreed strongly with that as he placed his hands on her shoulders, making her look up.

"Wrong! You're not responsible for my problems, and I'm not responsible for yours. The train would've set you back way bigger than that if it were true. Besides, if anyone's a burden around here... it's me."

This snapped Tulip out of her funk, but what she showed on her face meant it wasn't all a good thing.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"I can't keep anybody safe. I wouldn't be here on this train if I could. It's my fault everyone got hurt today. It's my fault Atticus turned into a monster. And worst of all... it's my fault you were hurt in the first place. When you saw me attack him, I hurt you. Face it. I'm a failure."

As Tulip made a sad gasp, Bailey tried to convince him otherwise.

"No, Bryce. That's not it."

"Really? Why else did my number go as high as it did?"

Nobody dared tried to answer his question immediately. They knew how angry he was when Atticus was draining her dry. But even so, Penny knew he didn't want to do it on purpose. After a moment, Penny spoke to her big brother.

"You were just scared, Bryce. I don't blame you for that."

Bryce only scoffed before replying in an emotional turmoil.

"That's no excuse; I almost killed our friend! Isn't that something to blame me for?!"

Rexy then interjected, trying to help Penny in the conversation.

"Ah, but you didn't."

"What difference does that make?! Nobody was brainwashing me, or manipulating me! That was all me! I'm a danger to you all just by being anywhere near you, Penny... that's why I have to go. You're better off without me."

Bryce was about to exit the door, but Tulip grabbed his hand, making him turn to her. She had tears all over her face as she struggled to keep her voice steady.

"No. You... you can't go."

"Tulip, you know I have to—"

"I don't care! You promised to go home with me!"

Bryce's face softened as he listened to her speak.

"After everything we've been through, I'm not going to let you leave! I'm not going to let you break that promise! Do you hear me?! Do you...?"

Tulip was beginning to sob all over again as she struggled to hold them back while Bryce, now Bering a look of guilt on his face as he spoke.

"That's not the only promise I made."

"W-What?"

"I also promised to love you, to honor and keep you, to be faithful only to you."

"Then why are you leaving us?! Why are you leaving me?!"

"Tulip... it's because I love you that I'm leaving you. And I have every bit of faith that you can go back home."

Bryce then took off his backpack and handed it to Tulip, putting it at her chest as she held it, getting confused about why he'd just hand her that backpack before she realized what he wanted her to do. Her eyes widened and her tears got worse as Bryce spoke it aloud.

"Bryce, no."

"You have to. If you go home..."

"Don't ask me to do this...!"

"I want you to deliver it to the bank..."

"No, don't!"

"And tell my parents I'm sorry. Can you promise me?"

"I can't do that! Not without you!"

Tulip held his backpack close to her chest as her tears fell before Bryce wiped them away before gently holding her face up to his, his hand under her chin.

"Tulip... I'm asking you this because I know you're not a burden. You can bounce back. You always have."

Tulip made light sobs as Bryce spoke softly again.

"Can you promise me that you'll set it right?"

Tulip was hesitant at first as her hands shook the backpack, but she tried to pull herself together as she spoke, trying not to let her voice break.

"I will... but I still want you with me."

Bryce sadly turned his face away shedding a few of his own tears before he softly replied.

"Me, too."

Bryce then closed his eyes, tensing as he made a run for it to the next car. While he ran, Penny was quick to run towards him as she shouted.

"Wait! Come back!"

It wasn't long before Bailey went after her, too. Whether it was because she still hasn't recovered yet, or because Bailey wanted him around as much as she did, Tulip couldn't know. She was getting a flashback of the last time he ran from her. But last time, she was angry with him. She could remember her irate voice screeching at him.

"Fine! Just go! We don't need you anymore!"

Now, she's finding herself saying the exact opposite as the exit door closed on Tulip just as Bryce looked back, beginning to break down on the ground as she held his backpack close to her before One-One and Rexy went over to her, giving her a hug as she began speaking as softly as he did.

"Please. Don't go. I need you..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the next car, the door suddenly opened before it revealed Bryce just outside. He walked into the car as he took notice of its background. It was in a dark shade of blue, suggesting to him that it was very dark, save for the light from the open door. Bryce looked around the room to find nothing but a mechanical portal-like device sitting in front of him. Bryce stepped into the room, trying to figure out what kind of car it was when he heard Penny and Bailey shouting behind him.

"Wait! Come back!"

"Penny, be careful!"

Bryce widened his eyes as he turned to see Penny and Bailey running towards him while noticing how sad Tulip looked before the exit door closed on her. Bailey and Penny caught up to the door, but it didn't take long for Bryce's own door to close next.

"Guys!"

He went over to the door and tried to open it, but it was to no avail. And Penny wasn't having much luck, either. She tried as hard as she could to open the door, but it didn't budge. Penny struggled to open it as she grunted. Of course, it was in vain as she slipped and fell to the ground on her back. Bailey was getting worried over her with her injury. One more try like that, and she'll end up making it worse.

"Penny! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. But I can't open it."

Penny got up as she looked to the door while Bailey pondered over it.

"That's weird. What kind of door shuts out a person? It never did that before..."

In the meantime, Penny has a different idea. If she can't talk to him in person, she might as well try the next best thing to reach him.

"Bryce! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah! But I can't get this thing open!"

Just then, Bryce heard a familiar semi-automated voice speaking behind him.

"Don't bother."

Bryce widened his eyes from hearing this before his face tensed, looking around in the almost dark room. He knew it from anywhere.

"This car is different from the others. Once you get in... you can't get out."

Bryce focused his gaze more on where the voice came from. It came from a corner near the machine before the figure walked from the corner and showed her mask now broken into pieces that had been melded together again. Bryce recalled her mask to only be chipped off of one piece last time he saw her, so it was safe to say she must've gone through quite an ordeal. All the same, he recognized her.

"Night Shroud. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Too long... at least, for me. To you, it would only be a moment ago."

This statement confuses Bryce as he raised his eyebrow.

"What? What are you talking about? I haven't seen you since the rainforest car."

Night Shroud tensed her hand as she spoke bitterly.

"Yes, you did..."

Night Shroud took off the mask and revealed her face to him, making Bryce's face grimace in surprise as she spoke in a voice he never thought he'd hear for a while. Her hair was way longer, unrestrained by a ponytail, but he recognized all the details. He saw the glasses on her face, the same little yellow clip on her hair... they all matched.

"Every single day."

Bryce's heart sank as he tried to speak.

"T-Tulip... you're Night Shroud?! But how?!"

"The answer to that isn't something you're gonna know."

Tulip didn't hesitate to move her cloak apart to pick up something from the belt. It appeared to be a platinum handle that held a little switch. But when she pressed it, it activated a green plasma that illuminated the room while also showing her fierce anger at full display.

"Because you're already dead!"

Tulip quickly lunged at Bryce, aiming to attack him, only for Bryce to stop her weapon with his cubed sword. He hoped it would be cut apart quickly. The good news is, it saved him for the time being. The bad news is, he still had to deal with a vengeful Tulip. She wasn't like that a moment ago. And how could she have possibly been Night Shroud? It didn't make a lick of sense to him. He would've thought it out more, but Tulip pushed him away to the ground before she shouted to him coldly.

"Why did you lie to me?! Did you even care about the people who suffered because of you?!"

When Bryce heard this, he had no clue what she meant. But he had an unfortunate theory. She must be angry at him for being responsible for his friends being hurt. At the moment, it seemed to make sense. He could think on it more, but Tulip wasn't giving him the time to do it. Still, he couldn't ignore what he said to her.

"Tulip... I didn't mean for things to happen like this."

"LIAR!"

Tulip got out her gauntlet and fired green bolos at him, only for Bryce to roll away, the bolos missing him as the flattered to the ground on impact. When he stopped rolling, Bryce was on his back before he noticed Tulip coming at him again with her laser sword before he countered with his own, the electricity sparking from the plasma connecting with the weapon as she growled.

"You took everything from me! It's your fault they're gone!"

"What are you talking about?! Penny and Bailey were outside the car a moment ago!"

"Sure, and Atticus isn't turned into a Ghom!"

While Bryce became confused on that last word, simultaneously beginning to get confused on her own words since they actually were outside, Tulip knocked Bryce's sword away with a grunt before Bryce pushed her off with his feet, knocking her farther away before she recovered and landed by the machine as Bryce looked to the door. If it's locked, he can't help her see the truth, much less get out of the car. Then, he looked to her laser sword and had an idea. He hoped it would work as Bryce headed for the door, making her growl before he shouted into the door.

"Penny, you better stand back!"

"Why?! What's going on?!"

"Just trust me on this one!"

Tulip held her sword at the ready as she shouted.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Bryce looked behind him just in time to see Tulip lunging her sword at him, only for Bryce to move away before she stabbed it through the door, reaching the other side just above Penny as she squealed in surprise while Bailey moved her back. Tulip growled as she looked at Bryce with livid malice, swiftly moving the sword to her right, cutting through the door like butter while forcing him to duck. Then, she swung her sword down, making him dodge roll away from the door before she removed her sword from the door. On the other side, Penny saw where he was getting at. He was trying to get whoever was attacking her big brother to cut the door open.

She looked at the door where the first slice got through both sides. Penny focused on where the two cuts connected before she began to back up, much to Bailey's confusion.

"Penny, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna push that door open."

"But Penny, we don't know what's going on!"

"I don't care! I have to save my brother!"

Bailey looked at her with a hint of sadness as she noticed the angry and determined look on Penny's face. Then, she looked back at the door and had that same determination on her face.

"Alright. Let's do this."

And not a moment too soon. Inside the car, Tulip had backed Bryce into a corner (literally) as she held her laser sword.

"Why won't you fight me?! Were you always that much of a coward?!"

Bryce looked up to Tulip with a glare holding tears in his eyes as he responded.

"That's not it, Tulip. It never was. I just don't want to hurt you."

Tulip glared at him back as she held her sword high to strike him down.

"It's too late for that! You already have!"

Suddenly, before she could swing it down, a piece of the door suddenly pushed itself out of place with Penny on top of it as she fell down on it with the piece clanging on the ground. Tulip turned around to see her on top of the door before gasping at the sight. It didn't take long for the little girl to notice her, either, as she turned her head and was stunned to see none other than...

"Tulip...?"

Tulip appeared to be just as shocked as she stammered.

"Penny? H-How is this possible?! Y-You can't be here!"

Bryce saw her panic and took advantage of it as he tripped her with his leg, knocking her down to the ground before he got on top of her, making her growl as he looked at her while Bailey crawled through the hole in the door to get in.

"What's gotten into you, Tulip?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why wouldn't I?! You're the one who lied to everyone until the Conductor came along!"

Hearing Tulip's words, Penny became confused just as much as Bryce did.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"He told me how you kept your bank robbery a secret from everyone! He killed everyone I ever cared about because of you! One-One died because of you!"

While Tulip panted in anger, Penny cautiously went up to her before the little girl spoke to her.

"But he did tell us."

"What?"

"He did tell us the truth. He told all of us about what happened after we saw you last time."

The angry Tulip shook her head, unaware of the number crawling up to her neck as she denied her words.

"No. No, you're lying! Why would I be here if it's true?!"

"But it is. I wasn't happy with what he did. I ran away. You told him to go away. And then... I got captured."

She still didn't believe her word as she glared at Bryce.

"Did you tell her to say that, Bryce?! Because it's not going to work!"

Bailey stepped in beside Bryce as she gave a fierce glare.

"You shut your mouth right now! My daughter is a lot of things, but she is not a liar! It's the truth, whether you want to believe it or not!"

"But I can't! No matter how much I want to... I can't just believe that. I can't..."

Tulip looked to Bryce, panting with fading anger as her face softened before he noticed her number up to her neck. Last he saw, Tulip's number was at a "67". To see it that high, along with what Tulip said about Penny when he noticed her was enough for him to realize what was going on. It wasn't the Tulip he knew. He began to speak softly to her as he looked back at her.

"Tulip... What happened to you?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Tulip that Bryce gave his backpack to was sobbing in shivers as Rexy and One-One were beside her. They felt bad for her as Rexy tried to cheer her up.

"Hey, Tulip. Don't worry about it. They'll bring Bryce back here."

Tulip looked back to Rexy, beginning to have doubts as she spoke, trying not to let her voice break.

"And... and if they don't?"

"Hey, come on. Don't say that. They will be back."

"Rexy's right, Ms. Tulip. If anyone can bring Mr. Bryce back, it's her."

Tulip began to smile at the two of them while wiping her tears away before they heard a voice that was presumed dead earlier.

"They're right. Fatalism never suited you, kitten. After all, you're my favorite person arbitrarily named after a particular kind of flower."

One-One, Rexy, and Tulip turned over to see Samantha trapped under the debris from her "sacrifice" to save the first two of the trio as his glad side spoke up.

"One that bounces back."

Of course, surprised as they were, their hate (mainly Tulip and Rexy's) still outweighed that as they spoke.

"So this is all your fault, isn't it?"

"That fall should've ended you, traitor."

Samantha gave him a furtive glance as she replied.

"Quite right. To be frank, I haven't kept track of my nine lives, much less thought I had any more than one. Now, as you've no doubt noticed, I'm trapped beneath the weight of... hunh! Childhood escapism. Might I propose one last bon affaire? If you help me..."

After what's happened to them, however, Tulip had no interest in listening to her.

"I help you, then we're done. No more trades!"

"But, what would you gain?"

Rexy glared at Samantha as he spoke.

"Listen, kitty, we're not doing this to get something. We're doing it because it's the right thing to do. A con artist like you can't understand. Also, we're doing it so you'd get out of our faces."

"Touché."

Tulip and Rexy lifted the debris off of Samantha and helped her get out before she spoke with gratitude at first.

"Ah. Merci, mon ami. Now, to hold up my end of the deal."

Tulip's sour mood didn't change one bit as she walked away.

"I don't ever want to talk to you again."

"But wait!"

Rexy became confused as Samantha leaped to a broken tube in front of Tulip before she tried to give her the good news.

"There's still time to cure the dog."

That was easily the last straw. Tulip growled as she lurched her arm at Samantha, forcing her to hop away, only to get caught by the collar of her shirt with a yowl before she shouted viciously at her.

"Don't you dare lie to me again!"

"No lies! He can be turned back."

Samantha dug into her shirt before getting out a tape that she stuffed into her shirt earlier after the group left her in her car.

"And the solution is in this tape."

Seeing the tape in her paw was a horrible callback for what happened to her as she maintained her bitterness.

"Last time we saw one of these, Bryce and I almost got trapped in our own memories forever."

"That's because it was your own tapes. This one belongs to... another. And while it's admittedly a little voyeuristic, it's not dangerous."

"Oh, sure. You only lied to me twice now. Why not go for a third?"

One-One and Rexy piped up as they interjected into the conversation.

"Yeah! Fool her thrice, shame on me!"

"We're not buying what you're selling anymore, turncoat, so don't bother!"

Samantha continued to try to reassure the others as she spoke, only for Tulip to snap at her.

"Our goals aren't wholly dissimilar. The Conductor tried to kill me."

"IT WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER IF SHE DID! THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT! Atticus is turned into a monster, Ava's taken away, Bryce ran away from me to-to... to who-knows-where, and it's all because of you! Why should I even listen to what you have to say?! WHY SHOULDN'T I KILL YOU EIGHT TIMES OVER INSTEAD?!"

Despite receiving the threat, Samantha still knew what good that would do, which really was nothing at all.

"Because it's not going to fix what happened, kitten. If anything, it'll break your number even worse than Bryce's is currently at the moment."

Tulip only growled as she tried to punch her senseless, forcing Samantha to hold her paws up in defense. She was about to do beat down the cat, but Tulip restrained herself as tears came down her face before she lowered her arm and spoke sadly.

"You don't understand anything... you don't understand at all."

Samantha held her head down before she spoke softly.

"Night Shroud thought so, too. In fact, she of all people, understands just how you feel."

Tulip looked to Samantha before she spoke again.

"She ignored what I repeatedly tried to get to her head, but... I hope you at least can understand."

"Understand what?"

"That taking a life won't bring back the one you lost. Something I feel Bryce should take to heart as well, what with his unbridled anger."

"B-Bryce didn't kill anyone!"

"He almost killed your friend."

Tulip tensed harder as she spoke.

"He's not like that."

"I never said he was. But if he doesn't get that anger in control soon, he'll end up worse off than when he started. Surely, you know that."

Tulip didn't avert her gaze, but it did soften some as she recalled how angry he was when Atticus was draining her. But he only attacked because he didn't want to lose her, apart from when he tried to kill the cat after the tape mishap. Tulip realized her word did have some merit as Samantha spoke again.

"Listen, kitten. I know you won't trust me, but... Ava is important to me, too. Do you really think I wouldn't try to help her after what I put her through?"

Tulip didn't answer as Atticus' screeching was heard far away. She gave a deep sigh before she spoke again.

"Fine. But you're watching it, first."

"Deal."

Tulip let Samantha go as she fell on her feet before taking the tape to the TV and putting it inside, causing it to show snow patterns, making Tulip and Rexy cover their eyes before the former gently moved it away and went by it to see the cat sitting perfectly still, her eyes fixated on the TV. Tulip held her hand to her eye to be sure. She waved a hand in front of her, but she didn't respond. She looked to Rexy before she spoke to him.

"She's not moving."

"Well, I'm not going. I'm still mad at her."

Tulip grunted as she didn't want to go in, either. But she also knew it was the only way to help Atticus. Like it or not, she had to. So, she cautiously turned to the TV before opening one eye, seeing the screen before getting inside herself.

Inside the background, Tulip was looking at herself and the cat staring into the screen, along with Rexy who kept his eyes closed before turning around to see Samantha laying down. Tulip went over to her before she noticed and looked up.

"Took you long enough. Luckily, I was in dire need of a catnap."

Suddenly, One-One's glad side spoke up behind them.

"Sleeping's creepy."

Tulip was caught off-guard quickly as she exclaimed.

"Ahh! One-One, how did you get in here?"

"I followed you."

"Yeah, but how?"

"I dunno."

It didn't matter to Samantha as she walked onward.

"So the glorified wind-up you will be joining us."

Sad One took it as a compliment.

"I am glorious."

With that, Tulip, One-One, and Samantha walked into the hallway, hoping to find answers.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Tulip known as Night Shroud was standing up as she was confronted with a sympathetic Bryce, along with the surprised Penny and Bailey. Of course, he was the first to ask her first.

"How long have you been Night Shroud, Tulip?"

Bailey was the next to ask before Penny.

"Why did you try to kill him when he's tried so hard to make it up to you?"

"Are you a clone of Tulip?"

Bryce and Bailey looked to her in confusion before Tulip sighed and replied to them.

"I know you guys have a lot of questions. But I'm not gonna waste any time just trying to explain it to you, especially not to you."

She gave a small glare to Bryce as he held his head down a bit before continuing.

"So, I'll just show you instead. Maybe I'll figure out how Penny's still alive that way."

Tulip then went over to the machine and tapped on the panel, turning it on as it showed a date placeholder that showed blank lines above the letters "D", "M" and "Y". Tulip typed in the blanks for it to say "11/22/2019". While the group noticed those numbers, Penny showed confusion while Bryce recognized it.

"What are those numbers?"

"It's the day I got on the train. That's a time machine, isn't it?"

Tulip corrected him as she glared at him a moment before she bore a melancholic look.

"No. Well, yes, but... it's not like the ones we know about."

This made Penny curious about the concept of hose two words.

"What's a time machine?"

"Basically, something that lets you travel through any point in time. Anyway, I got on the train that day, too."

This piqued Penny's curiosity as she looked over to her.

"On the same day?"

"Well, more or less. But... just watch."

Tulip put her hand on the scanner for the panel before it beeped the similar signal the Conductor used, only more friendly before the whole background started changing with a green flash, forcing them to cover their eyes. When it passed, they weren't inside the blank background, but instead out in the woods near a lone house.

It had a fair amount of different types of trees, and no visible neighbors or other houses apart from the one house. It is a one-story building with a light blue color, but the left bottom of the house was covered with stone slabs. There were two windows on the left side of the house, indicating that there are two separate parallel rooms in that area. There was also a white entrance door, and a white-colored garage door, with another window separating the two. The roof is dark gray, with a light amount of snow on the top, as well as a chimney, and to the right of the house, there is a small statue of a bear, holding up a sign that read "Olsen". Penny was easily impressed as she looked around while Bryce and Bailey were in awe.

"Cool!"

"What the heck? Did the inside of the car just change?"

"I don't know. I've been in a forest before, but not like this."

Tulip spoke up to the group as she got their attention.

"Get used to it. This is what a forest looks like in the real world. Well, the one near me, that is."

While Bryce and Penny looked around, Bailey widened her eyes in surprise.

"The real world...?"

"Yeah. Not what you had in mind, was it?"

"Actually... it's beautiful."

The other Tulip gave a soft smile before Bryce spoke up, recalling when she and his Tulip were face-to-face.

"Hold on. If you were Night Shroud, and you were talking to Tulip, how come the spacetime continuum isn't... you know, tearing itself apart?"

She gave a hard sigh before she replied to him.

"That's just a dynamic time travel theory, Bryce. It doesn't work that way on the train."

"Oh. I guess it makes sense."

In that moment, Penny took notice of something bizarre as she piped up.

"Look! There's another Tulip!"

Bryce and Bailey turned to see Tulip with Mikayla. They were surprised to see her. She couldn't have been back home. Bryce looked on at the moment between the two of them as Mikayla turned to her.

"So, when your dad picks you up for visits... does he talk to your mom?"

"Uh... yeah, sometimes."

The present Tulip sighed as Bryce, Bailey, and Penny looked on with the first of the group speaking up.

"Wait. That's before you got on the train, isn't it?"

"Kudos to you for figuring that out."

The memory continued as Penny walked over to Mikayla and the past Tulip while she spoke.

"I guess it's weird to see your parents talking to each other now."

"What do you mean 'weird'?"

"'Cause, you know, they're not married anymore, and everything's different."

The past Tulip clenched her hand on the onion in her hand before brushing her off.

"It's fine. Lots of people's parents are divorced."

This made Penny curious as she didn't hear that in her word in her time with Tulip when she was around. She turned to Bailey for an answer.

"What's a divorce?"

"It's... it's when your parents aren't married anymore. They're not together."

"Ugh! You're gonna harp on that, too?!"

The present Tulip's suddenly outburst caught Bailey off-guard before she gave a sigh and tried to apologize.

"Sorry. It's just... I don't want anybody to talk about it."

Penny then looked back to the past Tulip and Mikayla as the former walked away.

"You know, I better hurry home and pack. I'll see you on Monday."

"Oh, okay. Text me when you're at camp. You'll do great."

The present Tulip gave a sad smile before she pushed a button and the machine began to show that same event accelerating up ahead, making the group confused as things were going much faster than they should. She began to speak dismally again as she turned to them.

"Of course, I didn't get to find out. 'Cause, guess what happened?"

Tulip let go of the button before the background changed to inside the house. It was just like the way Bryce had seen it in her tape through a bizarre double-feature screen. But what happened here, he hasn't seen before. Megan was standing by the stairs as she spoke aloud.

"Tulip, can you come down here, please?"

Penny became confused again as she looked to Bryce.

"Who's that?"

"That's her mom. And... my doctor for my parents."

This made Tulip turn to him with a disbelieving look.

"How do you know that?"

"Wait. Didn't you know?"

Meanwhile, the event continued playing as the past Tulip spoke from on top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"Tulip, I'm so sorry, but your dad can't take you to camp."

"What? What do you mean? You— you said if I brought my grade up in English I could go! Y-Y-You and dad signed a contract and everything!"

Bailey felt it was getting uncomfortable for Penny to watch as she turned to her.

"You may wanna cover your ears, Penny."

However, Penny wasn't as vulnerable as her mother believed her to be in this situation.

"No. I'm okay. I wanna know what happened."

She walked closer to the dispute with Bryce going up beside her as he watched the scene as well.

"I-I know, bud. But your dad mixed up the dates and planned a work trip out of town."

"Okay, then why don't you take me?"

"I have a 12-hour shift at the hospital tonight, and another shift on Sunday. I thought you'd be gone the whole time..."

Bryce knew how well it was gonna end, so he couldn't help but feel bad for the both of them while the present Tulip felt even worse.

"What, so you're both too busy to be my parents?"

Megan sternly looked at her as she spoke.

"Hey."

"You guys are the ones whose divorce keeps messing everything up, not me! This isn't fair!"

"No, it isn't fair, but it was an accident. And your dad and I are still trying to figure this out. I know, we're not very good at it yet."

"Good at what? Good at being divorced?"

Hearing this, Bailey winced at the scene as she spoke.

"Ouch."

"Tulip, I just mean scheduling."

"What schedule?! It's two of you and one kid! It's not that hard!"

That seemed to be the last straw. Suddenly, Megan slammed her hand on the table, taking past Tulip by surprise as well as Penny and Bryce before Megan shouted.

"This isn't about you! I've had it bad just as much as you did; maybe even more than you! I have two people hospitalized in critical condition that need my help, and I've been working as hard as I can trying to balance that and getting the hang of this schedule thing for you! Did we make a mistake?! Yes! Yes, we did, but if you honestly think I'm going to let those people die just to get you to camp, you're dead wrong!"

The present Tulip hung her head down while the past Tulip began to shed tears while Bryce and Penny had surprised looks on their faces before the former spoke, much to the present Tulip's annoyance.

"Woof. And I thought my grandma was the angry one."

"Hush, you."

Meanwhile, the past Tulip sniffled before she admitted defeat with Megan beginning to feel bad that she snapped at her the way she did.

"Fine. Whatever, I can't go."

She began to walk away back up the stairs with Megan trying to speak to her.

"Tulip, wait. Let's talk about this."

"No, I'm going back to my game!"

Seeing the scene in front of her, Bailey turned to Penny and spoke softly to her.

"I'd take a note of that, Penny. You should always listen to your mother and be nice to them."

Penny nodded to her, though the present Tulip didn't think it much use.

"Like I'll ever get the chance again. But she probably wouldn't even care..."

Bryce went over to her, but kept his distance, knowing that this Tulip may not have been over it like his Tulip. All the same, he felt bad for her.

"I'm sorry, Tulip. I really am."

She only turned her head away before she spoke softly.

"I didn't ask you."

Tulip pressed her hand on the scanner again, speeding up the event as the machine began to speed up the event.

"You guys don't need to see the rest. We already know what happens from there."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip walked in the hall of memories with Samantha and One-One as she spoke to the cat.

"So, what exactly are we looking for here?"

"We'll know it when we see it."

"Fine."

While they walked, Tulip recalled how reluctant Samantha was to call him her friend when they first met. She called him an acquaintance. And on top of that, from the sound of their argument, it seemed like she was forced into it. But she couldn't be sure.

"So... how did you meet the Conductor?"

Samantha tensed a bit for a moment before she replied.

"Let's just say for now that I met her when I was at the lowest point of my life. She took advantage of my being at rock bottom, and since then, I've been under his thumb. Not that I've considered him a friend, mind you. I never liked him to begin with."

"But if you hated the Conductor so much, why'd you help him?"

"Je suis désolé. I thought if I followed you and Bryce, I'd be left alone."

One-One suddenly piped up in his happier voice.

"That's funny! That didn't work at all!"

He proceeded to laugh, stopping himself from moving altogether as he banged his nub on the ground with Tulip and Samantha watching One-One laugh hard at the cat's shortcoming before it died down. When it did, Samantha spoke again.

"No. It didn't."

Then, Tulip wondered about the involvement of someone else.

"What about Mr. Jackson? What did he have to do with him?"

"Everything, I'm afraid. The entire time I've seen him on this train, Osore is nothing short of the devil himself. If there was any point where he'd be redeemed, I'm afraid it's passed a long time ago."

In that moment, Samantha noticed the screen next to her beginning to show the pattern of snow expanding to cover the entire wall. Naturally, being knowledgeable about how the tapes worked as she is, Samantha walked into the wall, phasing through it before Tulip cautiously followed. As a result, they ended up inside a classroom. There were students in dark blue jackets each paired up with a partner and a teacher dressed in white by a chalkboard as she spoke to the closest group on her left as a young man with blonde hair was eating jelly with a spoon.

"Excellent work, Alrick."

The teacher handed him the graded report of Alice in Wonderland with an "A+" on it. However, the girl beside him had a different story.

"Perhaps you should spend less time with your toys, Amelia."

Amelia felt a little dejected as she muttered to herself.

"It's not a toy. It's a crystal radio."

Alrick felt bad for Amelia as Tulip walked next to him. She showed confusion over who he was as she turned to Samantha.

"Who's this goof?"

"Someone very important."

After setting the reports down on the desk, the teacher tried to sit down on her chair, only to hear the sound of a whoopie-cushion underneath her. She was aghast at the noise while the classroom laughed. Amidst that, Alrick crossed his arms with a smirk as he turned to Amelia who smiled back at him before One-One laughed. He wanted an encore of that humorous joke.

"Again!"

Suddenly, the event rewound itself to just before the teacher sat down and it played again. Tulip was astounded over such an effect as the teacher sat in the whoopie-cushion all over again. While the classroom laughed, Tulip turned to One-One and pondered aloud over whether he was involved.

"One-One... did you do that?"

"Yeah, I did! Again!"

However, Samantha didn't have the time to mess around as she spoke up.

"Ball, cease this foolishness!"

One-One's sad side moaned as he agreed reluctantly. At the same time, Tulip became curious about how he pulled it off.

"Fine-uh!"

"One-One, how did you do that?"

"I dunno."

"What..."

Before Tulip could ask her question, the school bell rang and the class began to leave. It didn't take long for them to end up in another point in time, and just outside a college campus, no less. They were all dressed in the traditional cap-and-gown outfits as the principal gave his speech.

"Engineering. Derived from the latin words, 'ingeniare,' to contrive."

Tulip was having little to no patience as she spoke to herself.

"This memory better not be another waste of time."

All the while, Alrick was breaking out in a cold sweat (literally) as he spoke fearfully to Amelia.

"I can't do this. There are too many people."

"You wanna make a run for it? Bunk off before they hand us diplomas?"

Alrick laughed nervously a bit before she gave a smile and dig into her pocket.

"Here."

Tulip walked closer to the two of them before the principal had finished his speech.

"Congratulations, Class of '76."

While they cheered, Tulip took notice of the same handkerchief that the Conductor used to wipe the tears off of her. And the edges of it were adorned with turtles.

"Wait. Is that...?"

Before Tulip could figure it out, the crowd cut her off and blocked them from her view.

* * *

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Take What we Need (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Origami Car)"

Meanwhile, the other Tulip was fast forwarding the events on the machine up to the point where the Ball Pit Car happened before a green flash reflected that same dreaded environment. The horror, the fear, the pain... all of it was copied and pasted into this car. And nobody liked it one bit. The past Tulip, least of all.

"And that leaves you... all alone."

Penny glared at the Conductor as she spoke bitterly towards him before Bailey glared just as hard.

"It's that mean robot again."

"The Conductor..."

"YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!"

"Let's talk about your friends. They didn't have to be here."

"Wha...?"

The past Tulip wasn't the only one to be confused. Osore was nowhere to be seen. And last Bryce checked, Osore was the one talking down to Tulip.

"Huh? Where's Osore? He was with the Conductor, wasn't he?"

The present Tulip shook her head as she replied before the Conductor explained.

"Not in my memories."

"They had a place on the train and you took them out of it. You brought them here. You put them in danger."

"They were trying to help me!"

"They were. And this is the result."

And unlike Bryce's events, here were more disastrous. Along with the ruined car itself, the past Penny was no longer breathing or moving, trapped under a pile of debris that crushed her, and the past Bailey appeared to have been struck by the falling debris as a broken piece of the slide must've hit her head as it showed blood trickling down from her forehead, making the present Penny and Bailey gasp in shock as the little girl spoke up.

"Hey! That didn't happen! Mom and I are still here!"

The present Tulip gave a short sigh as she spoke.

"I know. But what I'm trying to figure out is how did you two survive?"

Penny shrugged her shoulders before the Conductor spoke again.

"All of this is your fault."

The past Tulip began to shed her tears as she turned her head away from the carnage before the past Bryce suddenly shouted.

"Shut up!"

End Chrome Canyon Music: "Take What we Need (Unreleased Book 3 Music from The Origami Car)"

The past Tulip looked up in confusion to see the past Bryce standing with an angry scowl towards him.

"None of this was her fault! You're the one who killed them! She didn't ask them to come along; they chose to follow her! You don't get to blame that on Tulip, especially not when she's just trying to go home!"

While the present Bryce looked at the scene in front of him, it surprised him that he never said it before now as he spoke in surprise. Nonetheless, it was the truth.

"Yeah, that does sound like me."

However, the Conductor quickly found a way to turn it around as he spoke callously.

"And what about you, Mr. Gideon? Do you honestly think you're so perfect?"

The past Bryce became stunted first a moment before he continued.

"You're just as responsible for this as she is. And the contents in your backpack are the proof."

This made the past Bryce widen his eyes in fear as the past Tulip looked to him.

"Bryce, what is she talking about?"

At the same time, the current Bryce became confused.

"Wait. You didn't know? Didn't I tell you before this happened?"

The present Tulip glared at him as she retorted.

"No. You didn't tell me anything."

Bryce couldn't help but feel a pit in his stomach as he literally watched himself be put in a heat trending position with the Conductor egging him on.

"So, you haven't told her your secret after all. Well, now's your chance to confess. Tell her what is in that backpack of yours that you've carried for so long."

The past Bryce showed quite a bit of hesitation while his present self spoke to him, much to the other Tulip's brief annoyance.

"Just tell her. She needs to know."

"It's no use. He can't hear you. Besides, it would've been too late, anyway."

To verify her point, Bryce's hesitation stifled the Conductor as he growled.

"Fine. If you want to do it the hard way, so be it."

He beeped a signal from his helmet before the steward wrestled the backpack away before slamming it on the ground, exposing countless bags of cash as they spilled on the ground. The past Tulip looked on in confusion and fear as she looked to him.

"Bryce, what... what is all this?"

The Conductor began to speak coldly as he exposed the past Bryce.

"Ah... it seems I was mistaken. Perhaps it's not your fault, after all. It was his. He's been lying to you, Tulip. He never cared about you or his friends. He's been using you so he could get off the train himself with this stolen money. To give himself a better life than yours... isn't that right, Mr. Gideon?"

The past Bryce began to shed tears as he looked to the past Tulip in fear of what she may think of him, turning her head away in spite and sadness while the present Tulip spoke up to the present Bryce.

"You lied to me all this time. You kept it a secret for yourself, and you got everyone killed, just because you wanted to keep that money."

The present Bryce turned back at her, hoping to help her understand.

"No. It's not like that, Tulip."

"Why should I believe you?! She told me more about you than you have!"

"The Conductor was just—!"

Before Bryce could finish, he became confused about what came out of her mouth.

"Wait. Did you just say 'she?'"

"Stop blocking! We both know it's all your fault!"

Penny didn't like how she was treating Bryce as she glared at her before she shouted.

"Hey! Leave my brother alone!"

Bryce put on a brief look of sadness before he spoke to her again.

"No, Penny. She's right. I won't argue with her there, but I didn't get that money just for myself; you know that."

Penny looked to her and gave a small nod before the other Tulip interjected.

"No, I don't! You never told me anything!"

It was getting harder and harder to convince her. But he wouldn't blame her. The different events that transpired was proof that she wasn't his Tulip. All the same, he needed to help her see the truth. Then, he recalled the moment when he and Tulip were stuck inside the tapes at the cat's car. Maybe there's something there that can help refresh her memory.

"Wait. You didn't know? Didn't you look in my tape before?"

"No! All I saw was you getting trapped in your own mind before I broke that TV apart. And so you know, I'm not going back. I'm just not in the mood to go down memory lane again. Especially that memory..."

As the present Tulip got back to the matter at hand, pressing a button on the panel for the machine to fast forward through the event of Atticus' transmogrification, Bryce snapped his fingers as that theory was shot out the window.

"Well, so much for that..."

Then, a green flash came again, showing the past Tulip sitting disconsolately in front of the Ghom formerly known as Atticus as it clawed at the window in vain. Then, it showed the past Bryce sadly walking over to her, nervous about what she could think of him now. Still, he had to try anyway.

"Tulip... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

It didn't seem to matter to the past Tulip as she spoke bitterly.

"This is all your fault..."

The past Bryce became nervous as he knew where it was going.

"What?"

Tulip didn't hesitate to stand up and attack him with a hard punch as she shouted.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

As the past Bryce fell, the present Bryce was in shock as well as Penny and Bailey while the other Tulip just watched with a semi-cold and sad expression as her past self shouted.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth before any of this happened?!"

The past Bryce struggled to get up as his mouth was bleeding from her hard punch knocking out a tooth as she continued.

"You weren't honest with me! And because of that, everyone I cared about is gone! They're... they're all gone...!"

She began to weep softly as the past One-One rolled over to her and made a sad face. The past Bryce was about to go over to her, hoping he'd make her feel better as he spoke softly. However, he only managed to incite her rage.

"Tulip..."

"Just go away, Bryce! Go away, and never come back into my life again!"

The past Bryce began to shed tears from hearing her words. He then closed his eyes before he ran away and went out the exit door. As he did, Penny was getting very angry at the other Tulip.

"Why did you have to be so mean?!"

This got Bryce, Bailey, and the other Tulip by surprise. She was upset before, but they never thought they'd see Penny so angry, even if Bryce had seen it before prior to her capture by Osore.

"He just wanted to help his mom and dad with that money, and you told him to go away!"

The other Tulip wasn't amused with her. She wasted no time to yell back.

"He lied to you, too, Penny! Don't you hate him for that?!"

"No! I didn't hate him! I was just... I was just mad."

"Well, maybe you should! He didn't just ruin my life; he ruined yours, too! You're better off without him!"

Bryce's face began to soften in sadness before Bailey stepped in and gave a fierce glare to her as she spoke.

"Excuse me?! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten my daughter back the way I have, nor would I have been able to be free!"

Hearing her words, Bryce looked up to her in a sort of relief. It was true. If it hasn't been for him, Penny would never have gotten to know her mother. Then, Bailey went too far.

"If anything, she's better off without you!"

Bryce's face began to show confusion, as did Penny's before the other Tulip was beginning to get afraid.

"What have you done to help?! The Tulip I was around with didn't blame anyone for her problems, but that's all you ever did! You blamed your parents for your rotten life just like you blamed Bryce for what the Conductor did! You think you're any better?!"

With her temper escalating, Bryce tried to get her to chill out for Tulip's sake, though he also noticed Penny getting just as scared.

"Bailey, calm down."

"You're not! You're just an arrogant..."

With every word Bailey used to describe her, Bryce was starting to get just as defensive.

"Bailey..."

"...selfish..."

"I'm warning you..."

spoiled brat!"

That was the last straw for Bryce as he cut himself in-between Bailey and Tulip as he shouted.

"SHUT UP!"

Bailey backed away in surprise while the other Tulip looked at him in confusion. At the same time, Bryce's face softened from his angry expression before he spoke to her.

"I'm sorry, Bailey... but Tulip isn't any of those things. Least of all, this one."

Bailey was confused about why he'd stick up for her. She just blamed her own parents for the way her life was. How could he stand that kind of person?

"But she blamed her own mother for what happened to her."

"So did our Tulip. But she's been better since then. Besides, she's had a rough time, too. So cut her some slack."

Bailey held her head down, remembering the conversation she had with Tulip about her parents. From that brief moment, she guessed that she just missed them being together. She gave a sigh of understanding before looking to the other Tulip. She started off sympathetic, but while she continued, she began to hold a fierce look.

"I'm sorry. You have a right to be upset. But you should know that nobody talks to my daughter that way."

Penny went up to Bailey before holding her hand as she spoke up.

"It's okay, mom. I knew she was mad. She doesn't hate me."

The other Tulip then turned to Bryce and began to stammer a little bit as she blushed.

"Uh... t-thanks for sticking up for me... but I'm still mad at you."

"It's okay. You have every right to be. Now... can you show us the rest of what happened?"

The other Tulip turned to the rest of the group, seeing their determined faces before giving a heavy sigh as she pushed a button on the panel to speed up the event, with the machine continuing where it left off.

"I should warn you guys, though. What happened here won't exactly be kid-friendly."

Penny was undeterred by her words as she spoke to her.

"I can handle it."

However, Bailey has her doubts as she held her daughter's hand tightly.

"I'll cover Penny's eyes if I have to."

"You better. It's for the best that she doesn't see me like that..."

Bryce grew curious about the meaning of it. Could that be the reason her number went up so high?

"Like what? What did you do?"

"Trust me... you'll wish you didn't know."

With that, Tulip pushed a button before the green flash came and changed the background to show a car similar to the Unfinished Car. However, the sky was more exposed, and there were countless glowing orbs scattered all over. And in that car, the past Tulip was running away from the Conductor as she ran up the floor while he climbed up before she grabbed onto a tree and held onto it. As a result, something small and hard fell to the ground before he picked one up. It appeared to be a turtle miniature.

"Unbelievable. Again with the turtles."

The past Tulip looked up at the tree and saw dozens of turtle miniatures taking place of the leaves as she came to a stark realization.

"You built that weird car with the turtles in it! And this is your college campus. You're trying to make a car of your old life!"

"Of course I am!"

The Conductor plunged his hand into the ground and got out a pipe and used it to attack the past Tulip just as she got out her own before she fell as the momentum hit her own pipe and caused her to flip onto her stomach before he spoke.

"You keep a pipe in your backpack?"

"It's a donut-holer!"

While the fight continued, the group looked on as Penny shouted.

"Yeah, Tulip! You show her!"

The other Tulip, however, didn't show any aggression towards this as she spoke.

"I wouldn't suggest that."

"Huh?"

"She was just afraid. Like I am..."

This made Bryce turn to her as he recalled the last time she said it about the Conductor.

"Wait. You said, 'she' again. Why do you keep saying that?"

"It's... complicated. Look. Just watch. It'll be easier to understand that way..."

* * *

Meanwhile, as the past Tulip and the Conductor clashed pipes while purple lightning struck in the background, the scene changed to show that it took place on yet another rainy day with Amelia and Alrick running across the sidewalk and the street with the two of them laughing before they went in the phone booth.

"Quick, in here."

Alrick dug into his pockets, hoping to find change, but he had no luck.

"No change to call a cab, love."

But that didn't seem to stop Amelia.

"Wait, there's a new trick I learned. If we play the right tones into the receiver, we can control the network."

Amelia got out her flute from her blue purse and picked up the phone before she played a high note. As luck would have it, it connected her to a caller.

"Hello?"

It astounded the young couple as they spoke intermittently with Alrick going first.

"Whoa!"

"It worked! Hi. Y-Yes, we need a taxi."

Alrick then began to mess around as he took off his fedora, making it difficult for her to talk to the receiver.

"Tell 'em we're sopping wet!"

"Shush. Shh. Shh. Shh. No, no. No, not you."

"Yes, you!"

"We're very dry. 100% dry. Very dry."

Alas, Amelia's assurance was in vain. Alrick wrung out the water in his hat on top of his head. Amelia couldn't help but laugh at his joke, and it wasn't long before he joined in, too. It wasn't very fruitful for Tulip, though.

"This isn't helping!"

Suddenly, Tulip, Samantha, and One-One ended up inside an apartment where Alrick was playing a video game with a new pair of shades before Amelia walked up to him with a smile on her face as she held something behind her back. In that moment, Alrick put his hood on, turned around, stood up, and held a voice modulator near his mouth, speaking in a bizarre voice.

"A-mel-i-a."

Tulip gasped as she recognized that voice all too well.

"The Conductor?!"

Samantha gave a nod as the event continued to play.

"Mm-hmm."

"It is I, your normal boyfriend. I am a hu-mon. This is how I sound now. I do hope that it's acceptable."

Amelia couldn't help but find him entertaining as she spoke coyly while walking past him and sitting on a desk.

"Oh, very acceptable, but you're obviously a robot."

Alrick feigned his gasp of surprise, enjoying the joke a bit too much before Amelia walked up to him.

"And me? I'm just a simple hu-mon. But perhaps we can bridge the gap between our two civilizations."

Amelia got out a small black box and presented inside it two rings. She looked up to Alrick, hoping he'd accept.

"So...what do you think?"

Alrick took his shades off in surprise before he gave a nod to her. As he did, he couldn't help but tear up out of joy. As Amelia and Alrick kissed each other on the lips a bit before they hugged each other tight, Tulip made a light gasp. Amelia and Alrick were just like her and Bryce. She couldn't help but smile a bit before Sad One ruined the moment.

"Plato says love is a serious mental disease."

Frankly, Samantha couldn't agree more.

"That, we can agree upon, ball. After all, Bryce did attack the dog to keep her safe."

The cat's comment stifled Tulip as she retorted.

"I told you, he didn't attack her!"

"I think his number speaks for itself."

Tulip wasn't in the mood to argue as she grunted before getting back on topic.

"So, this is the conductor's tape? He's just some...British guy? What happened to him?"

"So impatient. Just watch."

Tulip didn't have the patience. Surprising as it was to see how similar the two of them were with her and Bryce, she hasn't lost sight of what was important: getting Atticus and Ava back.

"No! We're done wasting time! I want to save my friends!"

One-One's glad side was on board with Tulip as he piped up.

"Let's blow this joint, Ms. Tulip!"

When he agreed, however, they suddenly fell through the floor while being surrounded by a cylinder of memories. They ranged from Alrick wearing an apron beside Amelia to the two of them dancing together. It wasn't long before they landed outside of the house at night in the rain. Outside, four people close to both Alrick and Amelia were near the door with one of them near it before Tulip, One-One, and Samantha both went through the door and then saw the future Conductor overcome with despair. He was wearing a brown coat as the person spoke.

"Hey. C'mon. Please, open up. Look, I know it's hard, but it'll be good to go. We're all here for you."

Seeing no one else around, Tulip and One-One's gloomy side had an unfortunate theory.

"Uh, where's Amelia?"

"Gone forever?"

Tulip couldn't help but feel bad for him as she looked upon his squalor state. It reminded her so much of how Bryce felt when the truth was out and he ended up being tortured by it. The man spoke up from outside again as Tulip looked at the window again.

"Well, the service... it's starting now."

Gradually, the static took place of the rain falling on the window before it went all over the background and swept underneath them.

"Wha!"

Tulip was quick to notice the environment was different. Instead of being in the apartment, they're now in some sort of city. And it's not the only thing she noticed. She also saw the future Conductor walking away on the street past the engineering building and Kelly's Market before trying to catch up. Unfortunately, she couldn't even move any further than where she is now, as if she was stuck in a bind. Tulip turned to Samantha for answers.

"Why can't we reach him?"

"The tape reflects how each memory was stored, and the Conductor keeps this memory at a distance."

One-One's sad side didn't like the challenge one bit.

"Beaten by the System."

Luckily, Tulip remembered what One-One did to alter the tape.

"One-One, you rewound this tape earlier and you made us fall. Can you get us a better view?"

"I think so."

Suddenly, he, Tulip, and Samantha both flew up as Tulip screamed before they stopped going up just as quickly at a point where they saw a sort of brain-like maze.

"Huh?"

She was astounded by the design of that mind. Was it how it was for her and Bryce in her mind? We're they all mazes? Before she could dwell on it any longer, Tulip saw a certain memory that needed to be seen. It was the Conductor walking towards a building.

"There! Take us in."

The trio descended into that memory before they landed on the ground just as the top of a school building vanished and it intrigued the Conductor as he walked forward, much to Tulip's notice.

"What the...? Let's follow him."

Per Tulip's suggestion, they all moved in, flying up into the air before and landing on top of the campus where a bizarre set of train tracks were. If her being picked up has taught her anything, Tulip knew that was when the train first arrived. But as it zipped by her, it blew the hoodie off of the Conductor, revealing none other than...

"Amelia?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Amelia was now elderly as the helmet of the Conductor was broken off. Despite it, the battle between her and past Tulip continued to take place in the currently constructed car. Watching the battle, Bryce, Penny, and Bailey were awestruck.

"No way... that's the Conductor?"

"This whole time, I thought he was a mean robot..."

"But she was just like us."

Bailey turned to the other Tulip with a look of sympathy as she continued.

"Like you..."

"Yeah. She was trying to create a car of her old life. To get Alrick back. I tried to give her a chance, tried to convince her it wasn't right, but... she wouldn't listen."

In that moment, Amelia spoke callously to Tulip as she shouted.

"You foolish girl, this was never about you!"

"Well, you made it about me when you attacked my friends!"

The past Tulip picked up an orb from the pad and a lone Corgi was all by itself before it disappeared. Tulip seemed to be happy with that as she spoke to herself.

"Gotcha."

She then began to slide down with Penny watching in awe as the other Tulip explained.

"What are you doing?"

"I was trying to cure Atticus. That cannon and the corgi orb was my only chance of getting Atticus back. But something happened."

Penny looked up to her in a worried tone, afraid of what she meant by that.

"What happened?"

In a moment, as Tulip focused her aim on the Ghom, Amelia quickly grabbed her by her backpack, making her drop the gun as it clattered onto the floor of the engine. Even worse, in the engine, Atticus was quickly captured by the steward, who then tossed him onto the floor of the car beside Amelia and Tulip. Amelia had no hesitation to pick up the Ghom before quickly discarding him, tossing him out the open side of the currently constructed car. The past Tulip watched in horror as she shouted for him.

"ATTICUS!"

Amelia then began to smirk as she spoke.

"Oh, my. No dog, no boyfriend, and no parents? Who will you lose next?"

Tulip scowled at her in response before she spoke.

"This isn't right, Amelia! You can't just live in the past!"

"And how is that any different from what you've been doing? You've been pushing your friends away since the divorce, were you not?"

The past Tulip began to frown as she panted before she answered.

"Yes. I did. But it was a mistake."

"Clearly."

Amelia then chucked the past Tulip to the ground before raising her suit's foot to squash her.

"You're the one who made the mistake to come here. It would've been much better for you if you'd stayed put!"

Tulip only closed her eyes as she prepared for the worst, only to feel something pushing her away as a familiar voice shouted.

"Ms. Tulip!"

Not long after that, as she rolled away, she heard a sudden CRACK! The past Tulip looked after rolling away to see that One-One was at the receiving end of the foot. Her eyes immediately widened in heartbreak while Bryce, Bailey, and Penny looked on in shock while the other Tulip watched as the terror set itself in all over again.

"ONE-ONE!"

Amelia looked down to see for herself the demise of One-One as she spoke in a bit of surprise. However, it wore off quickly as she put on a smirk.

"What? He survived? Oh... until now, that is. It's about time that robot was finally out of—"

Before Amelia could finish, however, One-One suddenly made a beeping signal, perplexing the past Tulip and Amelia before there was a sudden pulse of green light. The past Tulip could only shield herself with her arms as it went everywhere. However, Amelia wasn't so lucky. Her suit took the full brunt of the apparent shockwave and began to glitch out of control as green lightning sparked around it. Amelia was caught off-guard as she was forced to jump out of the suit before it detonated, taking the steward with it as she fell onto the ground.

Seeing Amelia vulnerable as she picked up her own pipe, the past Tulip tensed angrily as she gritted her teeth while tears escaped her eyes before brandishing her donut-holer and charging at Amelia with a heartrending cry, pushing herself and Amelia off of the car and into the engine, Amelia's pipe clanking on the floor. In the engine, Amelia struggled to get up while Tulip had no trouble at all. As Bryce, Penny, and Bailey caught up to the event below, the past Tulip glared at Amelia, standing up while speaking coldly, her voice shaking with anger as her hand clenched tightly on her donut-holer.

"You did this...! You took... EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

The past Tulip swung her weapon at Amelia in the face, knocking her closer to the train's panel while Amelia glared back at the past Tulip as she spoke bitterly, picking up the pipe beside her that fell earlier.

"And what about you?! You took everything away from me!"

Amelia rushed at the past Tulip, rushing at her before the girl swung again, only for Amelia to counter it before swinging at her again, leaving a hole in her jacket where her arm was. Amelia attacked again, but Tulip stopped the assault and they pushed against each other. For a moment, it seemed like Amelia had the advantage, but watching the event unfold, Bryce knew how it ended. And so did Bailey as she raised her hand up to her daughter's eyes, confusing her.

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, the fight continued as the past Tulip began to lose her ground before she felt her anger rising up. The anger over Amelia's words, what she did to her friends, what she did to the other cars... all that anger was what propelled the past Tulip as she began to overpower Amelia and move her towards the panel. But Amelia didn't give up, even when her back was against the panel.

She began to push harder on Tulip's donut-holer, towering over her before she took advantage of it and knocked her pipe away. After that, she began to beat down on her senseless with her savage grunts mixed in with Amelia's pained groans. Bryce watched in sadness as she beat down on Amelia. After a moment, Tulip was panting in unforgiving rage as she spoke coldly.

"Don't even think you'll get to see Alrick again... YOU DON'T DESERVE TO!"

The past Tulip swiftly plunged the donut-holer into her chest, stabbing right through the panel as Amelia gave a harsh gasp just as the engine began to go dark, everything powering down until there was no light left save for the unfinished car currently being made. It shone down on the past Tulip's figure as her now bloodied hands quivered in hate from the blow she made. The past Tulip then took off her jacket as it was torn from the battle as Bryce and Bailey gasped in further shock while Penny was quite clueless.

"What? What happened?"

Penny tried to move her mother's hand out of the way, but it maintained its cover. Then, she heard a faint slide before Penny looked down to see the broken pieces of One-One rolling down to the floor of the engine as they clattered before the past Tulip turned to him, or at least what was left of him. Seeing him in countless broken pieces began to make her more sad than ever. She ran over to the broken pieces of the robot before she cradled him in her hands.

"One-One... no. No, not you, too... Not you...!"

The past Tulip then began to sob lightly before it grew higher in volume until she let out the loudest shriek of sorrow she ever made as purple lightning illuminated the engine all the way from outside the new car.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her wail echoed all across the hollow engine as she began to cry into One-One's broken pieces, unaware of her number changing drastically for the worse as it went up her right arm before it began to cover the rest of her body, save for her head. Seeing this event play out was the saddest thing Bryce had ever seen. Bailey especially couldn't bear to see her suffer like that. And when Penny was able to wrestle her mom's hand away from her eyes, she began to feel just as sorry for her. Bryce then spoke sadly as the past Tulip sobbed her heart out while the other Tulip walked over to the scene.

"You're... you're all alone... stuck on the train forever."

"Yeah. And whose fault do you think that is? You left me alone. If you'd just been with me, things would've been different. I wouldn't be suffering like this if it wasn't for you..."

Bryce sighed as he gazed at the broken past Tulip then back to the other Tulip.

"Tulip... you're right. It is my fault."

"Don't even try to convince me other— wait, what? You... agree with me?"

Bryce gave her a sad nod before he spoke.

"I wasn't being a good man like I should've been in your timeline. And I'll admit it, I've made a lot of mistakes. But this? This was the last thing I ever wanted."

"Then what did you want, Bryce?"

Bryce had a few seconds of silence before he answered.

"I wanted you to be safe."

The other Tulip found it hard to believe as she scowled at him.

"A lot of good that did..."

"It's true, though."

"So what if it is? I still couldn't save anybody. Not even the first friend I ever made on this train... besides you. Maybe it is all my fault..."

The other Tulip gave a hard sniffle before Bryce looked to the machine behind her and got an idea. She showed them everything about what happened to her... now it's his turn to show her what happened to him.

"No, it isn't. I have proof."

The other Tulip looked to him in disbelief as she spoke.

"What proof, Bryce? I don't see anything that tells me otherwise."

"Your Bryce may not have been honest with you, but I was honest with my Tulip. So that means you can trust me."

"How can I trust you? How can I trust anything that comes out of your mouth, anymore?"

Bryce sighed as he placed his hand on the scanner, making it beep a signal before he answered her.

"You don't have to. You just have to trust what I show you."

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "Trapped"

The machine then let out a green flash that covered the car and turned it into the event where Bryce had told the truth to his friends in between cars and was paying the price for it in solitude at Osore's car, being as broken as she was after killing Amelia. The other Tulip took notice of the event as the past Tulip went up to him before the present Bryce spoke up.

"After the last time we saw you, I decided to come clean and tell the truth. It didn't end well... but you were there to help me bounce back."

The other Tulip looked on as the past Tulip tried to talk to him.

"I can't say what you did was right, but it wasn't on you. You were just so scared of what was going to happen. I can't blame you for that."

"Well, if you're not here to say sorry, then what are you trying to say?"

Tulip became stunted to hear such a callous tone. In spite of it, she persisted in speaking her mind.

"That I... I don't know if I should trust you, or forgive you after what you put us through... but no matter what you did, one thing is never going to change because of what you did for us, because of what you did for me. What I really wanted to say was... I love you."

For a moment, it made Bryce soften his glare into a stare with tears coming down his face. But it didn't last long. Bryce knew that after what he did, he deserved no second chance. By now, any profession of love from Tulip might as well have been a lie. And he refused to believe it as he pushed Tulip back with a shove as he shouted, making One-One and Atticus concerned.

"DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO ME! How could anyone love me after what I did?! I used you, lied to you, put you all in danger!"

As his temper escalated, Bryce grabbed Tulip by the collar of her jacket and pulled her face closer to his.

"Why don't you just tell me that you want nothing to do with me, that you hate me, that you wish you never met me, or— you know what? Why don't you say all of that and JUST GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY?!"

Nervous as she had become from Bryce's temper tantrum, Tulip still stayed in place. She knew she'd told him what was truly in her heart. He needed to see it. And so, Tulip continued to speak to him, her voice a little shaken from how sudden he blew up at her as she held her arms around him, making him release her jacket in surprise.

"Because it's not the truth. And friends always have to be honest with each other. You were honest with me. It's the least I could do."

The truth... the last time Bryce told Tulip the truth, she told him to go away, which was to be expected from the severity of his actions. Now, here she is, doing the same thing and getting the same results. But unlike him, she didn't run away. Not from him... It was far more than he ever deserved. Thus, he couldn't contain his tears anymore and returned the gesture as he cried on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..."

As Bryce sobbed on her shoulder, Tulip tried to give him the comfort she had to offer as she brushed his hair back.

"It's okay. Let's get back to the others."

Then, he sped up the event to where Bryce and Tulip were on opposite sides of the TV inside their tapes before a green flash played it with Penny and Bailey being surprised by how close they were. Penny knew what it was as she spoke.

"It's inside the tape..."

Bryce then looked to the other Tulip before he spoke again.

"And because I was more open and honest to you, you saw everything that was going on with me. We had each other in those tapes..."

The past Tulip began to speak to the past Bryce as the other Tulip looked on.

"Can I ask you this one favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you... go home with me?"

That was something that gave Bryce a lot to think about. If he came back home, it'd be a matter of time before the mob finds out he alive and they'd go after his family. Why would Tulip want to risk that?

"But, Tulip. I told you—"

"Please, just hear me out. I know how you feel about going back home, but we made it this far together. Besides, don't you think Penny deserved to go see her real home after what she went through?"

That's right. Penny is obligated to go to her home after being adopted. And her Home would be where his was. Failing to take her home would mark a failure as a big brother. That was something he didn't want to risk. Tulip seemed to know him too well... Nonetheless, he had to admit it was pretty smart of her to bring that up. So, he agreed to Tulip's terms as he nodded to her while placing his hand on his screen.

"Okay, you got me. I'll go with you."

"That's all I needed to hear."

As Tulip placed her hand on her screen where Bryce's was, the wall began to shrink, much to their surprise and confusion before their hands began to hold together, their fingers clutching tightly before the event paused again with Bryce looking to her.

"We grew as people a lot better since then. And we were happy together. That wouldn't have been possible if we never met Night Shroud. If it wasn't for you... I wouldn't have been able to tell any of them the truth. You helped me be the honest man I am today. That's why Penny and Bailey are still alive."

Penny nodded to her in agreement with Bryce's words while Bailey smiled to her. However, the other Tulip wondered about something.

"But... if you loved me so much... why would you leave me?"

Bryce didn't find it easy to explain as he rolled up his sleeve, exposing his large number to Tulip, making her gasp before he explained.

"My number... isn't in a very good place. I couldn't keep the promise I wanted to keep. But I still wanted to make it right somehow..."

Bryce fast forwarded to the event with the panel before a green flash came to in between the train cars as the past Bryce handed the past Tulip his backpack before she spoke to him as her tears got worse as Bryce spoke it aloud.

"Bryce, no."

"You have to. If you go home..."

"Don't ask me to do this...!"

"I want you to deliver it to the bank..."

"No, don't!"

"And tell my parents I'm sorry. Can you promise me?"

"I can't do that! Not without you!"

Tulip held his backpack close to her chest as her tears fell before Bryce wiped them away before gently holding her face up to his, his hand under her chin.

"Tulip... I'm asking you this because I know you're not a burden. You can bounce back. You always have."

Tulip made light sobs as Bryce spoke softly again.

"Can you promise me that you'll set it right?"

Tulip was hesitant at first as her hands shook the backpack, but she tried to pull herself together as she spoke, trying not to let her voice break.

"I will... but I still want you with me."

The past Bryce sadly turned his face away shedding a few of his own tears before he softly replied.

"Me, too."

The past Bryce then closed his eyes, tensing as he made a run for it to the next car. While he ran, Penny was quick to run towards him as she shouted.

"Wait! Come back!"

"Penny, wait!"

While they ran after him, she began to break down on the ground as she held his backpack close to her before One-One and Rexy went over to her, giving her a hug as she began speaking as softly as he did.

"Please. Don't go. I need you..."

It was then that Bryce began to realize how much hurt he just put his Tulip through by placing the responsibility on her. He began to frown, easily catching the other Tulip's notice before she spoke softly to him, getting the sense it wasn't what he had in mind.

"That's your way of making it right? Leaving me all alone?"

Bryce's face softened as he answered.

"You're right about one thing: you were better off without me."

End Chrome Canyon Music: "Trapped"

The other Tulip then noticed her other self trying to pull herself together as she sniffled before calling him on her phone. After a moment, he didn't answer as a voicemail came on.

"Hey, this is Bryce Gideon. I'm busy at the moment, so please leave a message anytime you can. I would appreciate that."

Then, after it beeped, Tulip spoke into the phone as she tried her hardest to keep her voice steady.

"Bryce? Listen to me. It's Tulip. I'm hoping I get to change your mind before you... before you go away. Anyway, I need you to listen to me. You, of all people told me that I wasn't a burden. And I'm... I'm just so happy that you believe that, but... you should know you're not a burden, either. I-If it wasn't for you, I... I would've been stuck in the past, thinking my family was better off without me. But as much as they need me... I need you, too! And I need you to come back! I got as far as I did because of you! Without you... I don't know if I could even go on anymore... just please come back..."

Then, she finished the voicemail and ended the call before she resumed her light sobbing. Seeing her like this, Bryce felt a pit in his stomach as he turned to the group. They all had sad looks on their faces that made his guilt even worse. He once believed that him leaving her would make her chances better, but after seeing her like this, he began to have a tiny bit of doubt. And it was all it took for him to fast forward the event to see for himself as he spoke, trying to convince the group, and mainly himself, that he made the right choice.

"I-I know it doesn't seem right, but I had to leave. I was a danger to her..."

Then, he stopped to just when the battle in the new car took place. It was just like when Tulip fought Amelia, and it was when she was looking for a corgi orb to put in the cannon.

"You foolish girl, this was never about you!"

"Well, you made it about me when you attacked my friends!"

Like before she found the orb and put it in the cannon before going down.

"Gotcha."

Amelia didn't like it one bit and have chase. When she got close enough, Tulip Aimee the cannon and fired a few times, only to end up hitting a computer monitor, a sink, and a bed, turning them into corgi-themed items before Tulip took a deep breath and aimed the cannon one more time, hitting the Ghom-like Atticus dead on before it began to twitch and shake like it had a seizure. The steward took advantage of it as it whipped its tentacle at the Ghom and slashed him with such force, he ended up flung to a panel, earning its pained cry before it fell to the ground beside One-One, much to Tulip's worry.

"No!"

Seeing the event in motion, Bryce became less and less convinced that he made the right choice as he spoke softly, much to Penny's concern.

"No, no, no... this wasn't supposed to happen...!"

"Bryce?"

Amelia, however, was amused as she spoke to her whilst grabbing her by the backpack and lifting her up.

"Oh, my. No dog, no boyfriend, and no parents? Who will you lose next?"

Osore's voice rang out next as he called her out.

"How about your little friend?"

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "You're No Person (Book 3 Unreleased Music in The Color Clock Car)"

Tulip turned around to see One-One in his right platinum claw as he quivered in its grip, making Tulip frightened as she didn't want to know what could happen.

"One-One!"

Determined to save him, Tulip let her arms slip through her backpack, catching Amelia by surprise as she slid down to the engine. In that moment, Osore tossed One-One farther away from the panel. Just when he was about to hit the wall, however, Tulip managed to catch him in her hands. After which, Tulip turned to One-One as she spoke to him.

"You okay, One-One?"

"I'm better than okay! I found my mum!"

Tulip looked towards the control panel past Osore and saw the circle before she looked to him.

"Wait. You're the real Conductor? You've just been trying to get to the engine?"

"Yeah. It's a little weird, huh?"

Seeing how good she's doing so far, Bryce exhaled in relief before he spoke out loud.

"Phew! That was close."

The other Tulip knew better as she saw the infuriated Amelia growling before touching a button in her suit that activated a signal that called the steward to action before she spoke.

"I wouldn't say that just yet..."

Suddenly, the steward focused on One-One and Tulip before charging towards them as Osore watched.

"Then I'll help you take it back."

Finding herself under the threat of the steward, Tulip ran as hard as she could, holding tightly onto One-One with Bryce looking on in horror.

"Be careful, Tulip...!"

She ran past the steward's many legs and tried to outmaneuver Osore as he slashed at her with his claws, only to miss as she slid down underneath him before she got to the control panel as she and One-One's glad side spoke.

"There it is! The control panel!"

"Reunited, and it's gonna feel great!"

Tulip was about to put One-One in the panel herself when suddenly... she felt something tear through her midsection, making her give a loud choked gasp.

End Chrome Canyon Music: "You're No Person (Book 3 Unreleased Music in The Color Clock Car)"

Bryce looked on in horror as his eyes widened. He wished with all his night that it was a nightmare, but it wasn't. The steward's arm completely penetrated through Tulip to get to One-One. All she could do was give a series of hiccuping gasps as she struggled to breathe before the steward tossed her aside and she hit a wall before dropping One-One to the ground and she fell down to join him.

Play Chrome Canyon Music: "She Saved You (Book 3 Unreleased Music from The New Apex)"

Amidst the strikes of purple lightning that struck outside the new car, Bryce's eyes instantly watered a stream of tears as he shouted.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

All he wanted to do was run to her and hold her tight, but the other Tulip wasn't letting him go as she restrained him with a full nelson while Bailey and Penny looked on in shock and fear.

"Bryce, wait!"

All the while, Amelia got down from the Engine to see Tulip lying by herself as she gave hiccuping gasps, holding her hands close to her wound as she bled out before she spoke coldly, seemingly unaware of her number reaching all over her face as she spoke.

"You would've been much better off if you'd just stayed put."

She then took One-One from beside her before crushing him front of her, making her gasp before she shouted.

"No! One-One...!"

Before she could shout any further, Tulip began to cough out blood before she sobbed in gasps as her tears streamed down her face before she looked up at Amelia with uncertainty as she spoke callously.

"This is the end of your journey, Tulip. And my word is final."

As Amelia walked away from Tulip, leaving her to give out her last breaths of fear in those words, Bryce wrestled himself away from the other Tulip's arms before running down the new car to get to her. Bryce knelt down beside her and tried to speak to her as she held her hands out to One-One's crushed body and then to the unmoving Ghom.

"Tulip! Tulip, I'm here. Just hang on..."

Tulip only proceeded to speak weakly as she inches closer and closer to death.

"One-One... A-Atticus... Bryce..."

Bryce wasn't sure if his heart could take hearing Tulip so weak as he began to sob from it.

"I-I'm sorry... S-So... sorry..."

"You don't have to apologize. Just hang in there; you're gonna be—!"

Before he could finish, Tulip's arms suddenly went limp as her mouth gave out one last breath of life. Bryce heard nothing more out of her as his tears grew worse and worse, his eyes turning red.

End Chrome Canyon Music: "She Saved You (Book 3 Unreleased Music from The New Apex)"

"Tulip? Tulip, no. No...! Y-You don't get to do that. You better not do this to me...!"

Bryce tried to hold Tulip closer, but it was in vain as his arms phased through her as his sobs began to get heavier just as Penny, Bailey, and the other Tulip got down to the engine to see this tragedy.

"You cannot do this to me, Tulip! Not after what I did to keep you alive...! You can't!"

Bryce began to sob even harder as his tears began to trickle down to the floor like a water fountain. Penny and Bailey held their heads down while the other Tulip walked slowly towards him. Then, suddenly, he gave out a heart-wrenching cry that echoed all the way out to the new car as purple lightning struck just outside. His agonizing scream then descended into an endless stream of sobs as he wept on his hands while the other Tulip went over to him. She didn't feel sorry for him before, but seeing how much tears he's crying out for her made her consider it. She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder, but before she could, Bryce spoke bitterly to himself.

"This is all my fault... I should never have left you...!"

The other Tulip began to shed her own tears, though they remained in her eyes as she knelt down and hugged him, surprising him as she spoke sincerely.

"Just shut up..."

Bryce began to sob the hardest he could as he hugged her back, crying on her shoulder as the background turned into its blank state, the light from the hole shining onto Bryce and the other Tulip as Penny and Bailey looked on with sorrow as they spoke.

"This is terrible..."

"How could it happen so fast? How did she even get to the engine so fast?"

Just as Bailey asked, Bryce's cell phone suddenly rang out, catching his attention as it spoke out.

"You have 1 new message."

The phone then automatically played something familiar as Bryce's weeps died down.

"Bryce? Listen to me. It's Tulip. I'm hoping I get to change your mind before you... before you go away. Anyway, I need you to listen to me. You, of all people told me that I wasn't a burden. And I'm... I'm just so happy that you believe that, but... you should know you're not a burden, either. I-If it wasn't for you, I... I would've been stuck in the past, thinking my family was better off without me. But as much as they need me... I need you, too! And I need you to come back! I got as far as I did because of you! Without you... I don't know if I could even go on anymore... just please come back..."

Then came the beep as Bryce was now calmed down at this point before he realized something.

"Wait a minute... that message. It came just after I left, didn't I? Which means... she's still alive."

The other Tulip became confused as she overheard his rambling.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"This must be the future that would take place if I didn't go with her! T-There's still time to save her and stop all this!"

While Penny and Bailey grew relieved at this theory, the mother speaking as the little girl shouted gleefully, the other Tulip saw one flaw in that.

"Yay!"

"Oh, thank goodness."

"But there's one problem. You know what that means to try and save her, right?"

Bryce then turned to the broken door and put on a sour and spiteful look of hate as he glared at the door, tensing his hand tightly on his cubed sword. In the process, he was unaware of how dangerously high his number was spiking as it began to change for the worst, making Penny nervous as she took a few steps back.

"I couldn't care less anymore. Amelia... is going... to DIE!"

As Bryce shouted this, he swung his sword down on the broken door.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tulip had just woken up in the Ball Pit Car with a gasp, surprising Rexy as he exclaimed.

"Hey! What happened in there?"

"Amelia. She's stuck here like me."

Samantha knew she was right in the money as she walked closer to the TV.

"Oui. Once upon a train, there was a different Conductor. Until Amelia arrived and ousted him for her own purposes."

This confused Rexy as he spoke up.

"Wait a second. Who's Amelia?"

Tulip didn't have the time to explain it as she pressed Samantha on what good that information did.

"It's a long story. But more importantly, how does this help Atticus? We're right back where we started!"

"Information is power, kitten. Notice anything... important?"

Tulip looked at the screen and saw something near the front of the train. It was the same weapon the Conductor used on Atticus.

"Cannons. Wait, so, uh, the Conductor repurposed that cannon? Which means...

I could repurpose it, too. I-I could use it to save Atticus!"

Samantha smiled to Tulip as she spoke, confirming her theory.

"Ta-da."

This made Rexy altogether relieved on one thing before he pointed out another.

"Great. But how are we supposed to find Ava? And who the heck is Amelia?!"

"Allow me to put it this way, Rexy. Notice the similarity?"

Rexy then looked at the TV screen to see Amelia just before she boarded the train. Looking at her, Rexy began to see how the resemblance as he came to a stark realization, though it took a few seconds.

"Hey... doesn't that look like—?"

He let out a loud gasp before he spoke aloud to Samantha.

"Of course! Amelia must be her mom, right?!"

"Two for two."

Rexy was excited for a few moments, but then he realized what it truly meant for Ava considering what she'd done.

"Wait. Amelia's her mom. Poor kid..."

Tulip then glared at Samantha before she spoke bitterly to her.

"You dragged me through a tape when you could have just told me that in the first place?"

"Oh, I guess I should've just told you how to save the dog?"

"Yes, you should have just told me!"

Samantha made a small gasp, as if she was offended.

"But where's the showmanship?"

"Don't you get it? Seeing her tape just made things harder! It was easier when I thought the Conductor was some heartless robot thing. She turned Atticus into a monster. I don't want to feel bad for her."

Suddenly, the door flung open before Bryce's voice rang out in spite.

"Then don't!"

Tulip and the group turned around to see the infuriated Bryce standing at the exit with his hands on both sides as purple lightning struck outside. She, for one, was utterly surprised to see him, let alone be knowledgeable about Amelia and her actions.

"Bryce?"

"Why should you feel bad for her? She hasn't done anything to deserve our pity! What happened to her in the past doesn't excuse her for what she put us through!"

Tulip was caught off-guard by this new Bryce and was a bit nervous as she saw how scared Penny was getting of him. It was just like how she was scared of her when they first met.

"She ruined our lives! Why should we even give her a chance when she never deserved it?!"

Seeing how rough he's getting with his own Tulip, the other Tulip intervened as she stepped in.

"Cut it out. You're being mad at the wrong person."

Seeing her in person, Tulip became surprised to see another lookalike of hers before she tried to find out the identity.

"Wait a minute. Who are you and where did Bryce find you?"

The other Tulip turned to her before she replied.

"I'm you, but... edgier. Anyway, you know me as..."

Samantha gave a hiss upon seeing her before she spoke.

"Night Shroud! What are you doing here?!"

"Yeah, that."

Bryce scowled at Samantha before he spoke viciously to her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, cat! Didn't I tell you what I'd do if I ever saw you again?!"

The other Tulip quickly stopped Bryce as she put her hand on his chest.

"Easy, Bryce. She's not the enemy, here."

While this happened, Tulip shook her head in disbelief as she came face-to-face with herself.

"Wait. You're me?! Like, from the future?! But how?! And why didn't the spacetime continuum blow up?!"

Bryce intervened as he spoke coldly.

"Theories like that don't work on this train, Tulip."

"Oh..."

Taking note of how cold Bryce had gotten, Tulip began to get worried for him as she spoke softly.

"Bryce, what happened to you? You're not the man I remember."

He didn't see the need to waste any more time as he spoke to her.

"You're right. I'm not. I was too weak to do anything, but this time is gonna be different..."

Bryce tensed his hand before he took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, I saw everything Amelia did in the next car. She's done too many unforgivable things to be redeemed. Why should we even bother giving her a chance?"

Tulip gave a sigh to him before she replied.

"Because now I know she's a person named Amelia, who was in love and... she's hurt."

One-One and Penny went closer to the present Tulip as they hugged her while Bailey and the other Tulip looked to her.

"And she's running away from the changes in her life... because she's afraid. Like me."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Tulip's number began to glow brightly as it changed rapidly while Penny looked on eagerly with excitement and One-One hopped with glee before it stopped at "0". Not long after, it sent a blinding green light all around them before the train stopped itself, and a green line came before it created the exact likeness of the door the group went through countless times before its doorknob flipped open, and revealed a portal with bizarre light around a place that Tulip always wanted to go...

"Home..."

Upon seeing this, Bryce recalled that strange light that pulled a guy in before. It wasn't destroying him... it was taking him where he needed to be.

"Of course! That's what happened to the guy we saw when we first met. It wasn't killing him... it was taking him back home!"

One-One confirmed his theory as his glad and side sides spoke.

"Hooray! Now you'll be gone forever!

"To be clear, that's a good thing."

Seeing the exit in front of her, Penny became hopeful as she looked through it. Bailey looked to her daughter and began to wonder if she'll find Aden on the other side...

"So that's what an exit looks like..."

"Yeah. I wonder if... if Aden really left without me."

One-One rolled over to Bailey's feet before his glad and sad sides spoke.

"I don't think so. If he loved you like you said he would, then he couldn't have done that."

"Probably not by his own choice, though..."

Penny walked up to the exit as her head turned to One-One. She couldn't get what Amelia said to her mom out of her head. Of course, she knew thy weren't true, but it's what it implies that she was worried about.

"Hey, One-One? Do you think mom and I could go through it?"

One-One gave this some deep thought as he put his nub on his dome.

"Hmm... don't think so. Can't leave without a number."

This made Bryce worried as he looked to Penny.

"So, even if I do get my exit... she'd still be stuck on the train?"

It made Penny feel sad as she held her head down, making Bailey tense her hand before she shook her head in disbelief.

"But what if we got our own numbers? Could we get out, then?"

One-One's glad side took that in consideration before he gave a resounding answer.

"Oh, well, sure. That's usually how it works."

Penny looked up with hope as she spoke softly before One-One's glad and sad sides spoke up.

"Really?"

"Of course! After all, a hitchhiker is just a passenger who doesn't have a number yet."

"Which is debatable at this point..."

Bryce gave a soft smile as he spoke up.

"Well, how about that? Leave it to the real Conductor to give us some answers."

Hearing this, Tulip raised her eyebrows in confusion before she turned to Bryce.

"Wait. One-One's the Conductor?"

"Yeah. I found that out when I was in the other car."

Tulip then turned back to One-One for confirmation.

"One-One. Y-You were the real Conductor? You've just been trying to get back to the engine?"

"Yeah. It's a little weird, huh?"

In that moment, Samantha walked up to the group as she spoke to them.

"All the more reason I needed to take that ball with me."

Penny looked up to Samantha as she recalled when the cat took him with her. She was told back then that the Conductor would sort out this mess. She must've been talking about him the whole time.

"That's why you tried to take One-One! You were just trying to put him back and stop Amelia!"

Samantha smiled to Penny as she spoke to her.

"Well, it's about time someone understood the plan."

Despite this, Bryce was still furious with her as he growled, getting his cubed sword ready to strike her down.

"Why, you little fleabag...!"

Samantha quickly went behind Penny before the little girl stopped him, holding her hands out to her sides to act as a shield.

"Stop it! She was trying to help us. You should say you're sorry."

Bryce was caught off-guard by his younger sister's glare. Even after everything that happened, she never stood up to him like that before. But she did have a point. Amelia was his enemy, not her, even if she was a con artist. He set aside his sword before Bryce begrudgingly apologized to Samantha.

"Alright. I'm sorry... but you should've told us from the beginning."

"Apology accepted, I suppose..."

Bryce then turned his attention to Tulip, more worried for her than ever. If she goes after Amelia, she'd die. There's no way he'd ever let it happen. He had to convince her somehow.

"Tulip, you need to take your exit, while you still can."

"But Atticus—"

"Will be fine. We'll find a way to cure him. You don't need to worry."

For a while, Bryce's words seemed to have worked. However, the sound of Atticus chittering far away made it impossible for her to listen to him. She shook her head as she stepped back a few feet before turning away from Bryce and towards Atticus.

"No. I get that you're worried for me, but I can't leave while Atticus is still a monster. I owe him this."

Penny became curious as she and Bailey went over to her before the little girl inquired of her before her mother.

"But what about your door?"

"I'll just have to take it with me."

"And how do we do that? The engine is so far away from here."

"If the Conductor is just a person and the train is just a machine, then what's stopping me from doing what she did?"

In that moment, Tulip took notice of the leftover arm of the steward, broken apart from when Atticus juked it when it attacked. Bryce and the other Tulip took notice of it as well, the former having doubts while the latter saw where she was going.

"And how exactly is a broken arm supposed to help us get to the engine? We didn't exactly get to see that part."

"Actually... it can help plenty. It's how I got to the engine."

The present Tulip looked to her other self before cautiously asking.

"So... you're sure it wouldn't break the spacetime continuum if I asked for your help?"

"Pfft. Yeah, I'm sure."

"Good. We're gonna need your help."

It wasn't long before Tulip dug out through the debris to notice Samantha's shuttlecraft inside it before she and Bryce pushed it like a ball closer to the exit as he looked to the other Tulip.

"How exactly is the cat's shuttlecraft gonna help us get to the engine? We're too small."

Samantha went up near the other Tulip with a glare.

"As if I'd let you squeeze into my shuttlecraft."

"We won't have to. It's like programming. We're gonna use your shuttle as a controller. I saw that the train has some kind of input socket next to the door. That's where this arm comes in."

The other Tulip pulled a wire on the broken arm, causing the claws to retract into multiple ones before holding it near a wall and opening a hole that revealed the same design as the one in the unfinished car. The present Tulip was impressed as she spoke up.

"Wow. Not bad. But how do we connect the shuttle and the input?"

"I can help!"

Far away, One-One was pulling on a wire from Samantha's vehicle, making the cat a bit appalled and curious at the same time as she inquired of the ball, to which his sad side replied.

"Did you just break my shuttlecraft?"

"Depends. Who's asking?"

The present Tulip made the best out of One-One's suggestion as she connected the wires of the steward's arm and Samantha's shuttlecraft plug together before connecting the arm to the input, causing it to glow green as the present Tulip knelt down to it just as Samantha got inside.

"My paws are your paws. Where to, kitten?"

"Take us to the engine."

Without hesitation, Samantha pushed a button on the shuttlecraft in the shape of her paw print. Not long after, the bridge connecting the cars went away and it moved up before going to the top of the train where Tulip and Bryce saw purple lightning strike the air before the car sped up forward. While the lightning struck, Tulip and Bryce turned around when they heard Atticus chittering into a growl before they looked forward in determination with Bryce clutching tightly on his cubed sword, unaware that his number was rising again as they grew closer to their final destination: the Engine of the train.

* * *

In a black screen, a train zipped by with green lighting before the screen zoomed far enough away to show a glowing number of "34", making a young man become curious as he saw it on his hand. He was a teenager of Native American descent with short dark hair and an olive complexion. He wore a blue letterman jacket with yellow sleeves and a yellow "A" on the right side over a white T-shirt with a red collar. He also wore gray jeans and white and beige sneakers.

"Huh?"

The screen then faded to black before it showed him sitting by a door and looking at his phone, scrolling through the photos on it that showed him and his family as a familiar voice spoke up.

"I've seen this number thing before. And you're gonna have to listen to everything I say if you wanna get home."

The screen faded again before fading back in to show the young man running as he saw his number changing before exiting the door as it closed before it faded again to show an older man with a few wrinkles in his face, grey hair, and a strong tall body type, who also wore blue jeans, a white tank top, brown boots, a black leather jacket and black sunglasses in his jacket pocket along with his switchblade spoke to a young girl with a black shirt under a red hoodie with dark blue pants and dark red hair in a forest with a small blue see-through, slime gerbil on top of her shoulder

"I'm bringing you in as my secretary and personal assistant."

The girl shrugged in agreement as she spoke.

"Okay."

The older man didn't like it too much as he spoke before doing jazz hands with the last two words.

"This is actually kind of a big deal, so don't just say, 'okay.'"

The next scene showed the door opening from outside before the same young man pushed it open with Tulip's reflection (who now had a bracelet that she created from a pen chain that was spray-painted black, grey jeans that stop above her ankles, a black shirt with ripped off sleeves and a heart-shaped hole below the torn collar, brown work boots, piercings in both of her ears, and a bald head that held needles), the girl, and the older man next to him as they found themselves in a large map with the young man looking at the mountains as he spoke.

"This is so cool!"

Suddenly, a giant cloud with a face blew at him, sending him high up into the air with Tulip's reflection, the girl and the older man looking on in surprise with the deer next to them as the first of the three spoke.

"Jesse?!"

The screen faded away to show Jesse in the air with the cloud before he spoke.

"If you find all the pieces..."

Then, it showed Jesse finding a piece before he connected it to the broken map, causing the land to extend with trees popping up.

"He-hey!"

"...everything else will open up for ya."

Next, the screen faded to show the door opening before Tulip's reflection, the girl, and the older man burst through it as the girl spoke up.

"Where to next, M.T.?"

"You really have to ask me, Emma?"

Then, it showed M.T., Emma, and the older man looking at Jesse and the deer as he went over to him.

"Have you met my deer?"

Jesse then brushed the deer by his neck before showing countless photos of him and the deer as he spoke again.

"Alan Dracula?"

The older man then spoke to Jesse as the deer grew taller while his neck extended.

"What's the subtext here?"

Suddenly, Alan Dracula shot lasers from his eyes as he hiccuped, surprising Emma and M.T. as they gasped intermittently before it showed the latter laying down on a patch of leaves as the former looked at Alan Dracula as he chewed on the leaves while turning blue as Jesse spoke before M.T. commented on his design.

"He's my friend."

"Nice! What other colors can you—?"

Alan Dracula responded by turning back to his original color.

"Oh. Okay."

Next, as Alan Dracula's head spun around back and forth quickly, the hand of Mace went up on a solid float before Emma, M.T., and Jesse gasped before he spoke to them with authority as Sieve went up beside him, confusing the young man.

"Step away from that criminal!"

"Criminal?"

M.T. And Emma knew the threat, however, as they shouted.

"We gotta leave!"

"Scram out of here, Jack!"

Next, it showed Jack taking Jesse's hand as Emma opened the door before M.T. and Alan Dracula followed while Jesse spoke.

"What is going on?"

After the door closed, Jesse took out a wanted poster that showed M.T. with her hair still intact and made a grimace of shock as Emma tried to help M.T. with the door while the former of the girls spoke.

"Technically, I am a 'criminal.'"

The screen then faded to show Emma beside M.T. as she inquired to her.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

Next, it showed M.T. standing in place of the original Tulip as Penny looked at her in fascination while she narrated.

"I'm from a place called the Chrome Car."

Then, it showed Emma and M.T. as the latter continued to speak to her before it cut away to show her running away with Bryce, Penny, Bailey, Tulip, Ava, Rexy, Atticus, and One-One.

"Remember Tulip? I used to reflect her."

Next, it showed M.T. and Emma, who had the slime gerbil up on her right shoulder, walking by themselves on the bridge before showing them at a car with golden-winged serpents and then in the Kaiju Car before they ran full sprint as the screen faded before the two of them were confronted with the Flecs before it showed them running past a puddle only for Mace to pop up, grab her bu the dollar and slamming her down to the ground as she narrated.

"But I wanted to have my own life, make my own memories. That's against mirror law, and... those Flecs have been chasing me ever since."

Emma stopped and turned around to the two of them, worried for M.T. as she shouted in fear before M.T. shouted at Mace.

"M.T.!"

"Leave me alone!"

Just then, Jack's voice rang out from behind Emma and Mace before walking toward the latter and past Emma as he took off his sunglasses and looked down on Mace with a light shining behind him.

"Excuse me. May I cut in?"

The screen faded away in black before M.T. suddenly kicked Mace before Jack made a combo with his punch to the face with brass knuckles.

_**Play Siouxsie and the Banshees Music: "The Passenger"**_

Next, it showed Emma and M.T. running together before they ended up cornered by the Flecs, to which Emma looked to her companion and spoke.

"Do your thing, Visco!"

She and M.T. went in-between them before Visco suddenly pushed and parted them away for them to get past the Flecs before showing M.T. swinging on a tree and then showing the group outside a fresh green hill with a sunny sky that held a few clouds as they looked at a giant cat that held a carnival inside before showing Emma and Jack at the front of one of the games as she looked to him before speaking impressed.

"That was awesome."

"I try."

Next, it showed Samantha getting on top of Jesse's shoulder as she spoke before it showed Jack greeting the cat prior to Emma trying the crane game and picking up Alan Dracula, who somehow shrunk and entered the crane game himself to eat grass.

"Want an exit?"

"Nice to see you, too, Samantha."

"You have to win. Wouldn't be a game without stakes."

Next, it showed Jack doing battle with Simon, both sans jacket in the room with the both of them smiling to each other as they countered each other's blows as Emma spoke before it showed Emma and Visco walking around a mall with a young girl who had a brown bob cut, a light gray sweater with a red stripe across the chest, short jeans, bandages on both her knees, brown boots, and an eyepatch, before noticing to their horror, Julian as he yelled in flustered rage with the two of them gasping while Visco squeaked in surprise.

"In case you didn't notice, this isn't a game!"

Next, it showed Varicose open a door to the next car with Pike beside him as the former spoke before it showed the sail on the float coming down and splitting it in two with Emma, Visco, Alan Dracula, and M.T. on one side while Jack and Jesse were on the other before a quick swipe showed Mace using a laser called the Lawbreaker to open the door as M.T. shouted.

"We will take what is ours without games or pretense!"

"Emma, Jesse!"

The trio gasped before they ran out the door with Jack and Alan Dracula leading the way as Jesse spoke prior to the leader.

"We're getting out of here!"

"We're not taking a vote!"

Next, it showed Mace and Sieve giving chase as Emma stood in surprise before Jack grabbed her and pulled her away, making her exclaim just before the door closed on the Flecs before showing the train zipping by on the railroad as the logo for Infinity Train appeared before the words below it said "Book Two: Emma's Story" before they faded away to show the release date as the narrator spoke.

"Infinity Train Book Two: Emma's Story. Coming January 21st."

Then, the screen faded away to show M.T. and Emma looking at One-One's prerecorded message in the Doily Car as the latter had her hands in her pockets, looking with curiosity with Visco on top of her right shoulder as the former kept a cautious distance.

"Remember, you can't spell 'escape' without 'companionship'. Uh, companion... shape?"

While One-One tried to figure it out, the logo for HBO Max appeared.

"Companion-scape!"

_**End Siouxsie and the Banshees Music: "The Passenger"**_

**A/N: There you go! Pretty neat, right? Now, in case you're wondering, I have some voices in mind for my characters, even a brief recap to clarify. They can be seen below.**

**Miranda Cosgrove - Emma**

**George Clooney - Jack**

**Mark Hamill - Julian**

**Benedict Wong - Varicose**

**Keegan Michael-Key - Pike**

**You can bet that the Scarecrows will return in Book Two. And as for Book Three, the trailer for my version of it, known as The Apex Predator, will arrive in the end of my next chapter, which will be posted sometime in late-September or early-October. Until then, keep the train rolling by watching Infinity Train legally on HBO Max. We must receive a Book Four.**


End file.
